So long, Firefly

“Firefly” autonomous vehicle. © Google.

In 2014, Google presented a prototype for a completely autonomous vehicle. The cute, round, self-driving car was dubbed Firefly by its creators. After three years of experimentation, Waymo (Alphabet’s autonomous-vehicle division) announced the end of the experiment. Waymo no longer seeks to develop a vehicle from scratch, opting instead to modify its Chrysler Pacifica for autonomous driving (currently being tested in and around Phoenix, Arizona). The Firefly has already become a museum piece, on display at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View and the Design Museum in London. Their timeless design left a mark on the history of technology.

⇨ Medium, “From post-it note to prototype: The journey of our Firefly.”