Google's development of a self-driving car is creating some promising jobs for engineers and marketers, indicating that the project may be moving into a more serious phase on the path to production.
Google lists 36 professional jobs on its site for its car project, most of them involved with development and testing of the systems. Most are for engineers, but in addition there is also a job for a policy analyst, a head of real-estate services and a marketing manager.
Apple and Tesla Motors are also believed to be developing their own self-driving cars. Development of a car that drives itself, which could be a boon to older people who can no longer drive or those who just want to relax in their car, has become one of the hottest contests in the auto industry.
Google's job descriptions also hint at some of the hurdles the program will face besides the actual development of the hardware and software that will allow cars to move around cities without benefit of a driver.
"This is not a conventional marketing role," says the job description for the marketing manager. "You will help bring self-driving cars to market by designing and executing programs that help win the hearts and minds of local communities, opinion formers and governments."
Google notes that its fleet of self-driving test vehicles have logged more than 1 million miles so far and that testing continues in Austin, Texas, and near the Google campus in Mountain View, Calif. The job descriptions say Google is looking for candidates who are fluent in manufacturing.
Google had no comment, but it has said it has no intention, however, of making self-driving cars themselves. Rather, it envisions creating the systems, then partnering with an automaker for the actual car. But clearly Google now is looking forward to the day it can start production of its systems.
The manufacturing process engineer that Google seeks to hire, for instance, will be part of team that is "responsible for developing and/or approving manufacturing process flows, designing factory assembly stations, optimizing production floor layout, automating critical manufacturing processes and approving fixture designs used in the assembly of electronic modules for the self-driving car."
Source : http://www.usatoday.com
No comments:
Post a Comment