Google is currently conducting a usability test in partnership with drivers based in Arizona. As part of the program, Google is paying $20 an hour for drivers based in the Phoenix area. As per an ad posted by the California-based search giant, those willing to work will have to spend six to eight hours per day from Monday to Friday.
Drivers, as part of the initiative, should sit in the front seat of Google’s upcoming self-driving cars and collect data to help the engineering team. The aim is to test how the vehicles perform in the city’s hot and dry conditions.
To apply, drivers much possess the required license with clean records. They should be willing to sit in the passenger seats while they tour the entire city in real-world conditions. At the end of each shift, drivers should provide Google with the required feedback in the written format.
Moreover, drivers also may have to provide oral feedback directly to the product team as and when required.
Commenting on the testing initiative, Jennifer Haroon, who heads the business operations of the project, disclosed that Arizona is well known for research and development work. Since the Phoenix area has desert like conditions, it will help the company to understand the working of sensors and how cars handle at extreme temperatures.
Drivers should inform Google as to how the vehicle performed under all conditions correctly, so that the concerned product team will be able to make modifications.
According to Google, the selected drivers should be willing to take risks since the technology is not yet ready to be commissioned under all driving conditions. Google is also considering testing the car in more places and areas in the months to come.
Even though Google’s self-driving cars have clocked 2.4 million kilometers on US roads, the company has identified a particular area near Phoenix to undertake complete testing, since the place is well suited for all conditions.