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Google Tricycles To Map Footpaths For Street View

Posted by kdawson on from the hope-they-are-well-insured dept.

CNETNate writes "To advance its Street View service this summer, Google is poised to unleash the unstoppable power of human legs. Google will deploy pedal-powered tricycles — the company calls them 'Google Trikes' — mounted with 360 degree Street View cameras to map areas inaccessible by its fleet of Street View cars." The article indicates that the trikes will first see use in the UK, to map out public walking paths, but one anonymous commenter said: "This must be bogus — you are not allowed to cycle on public footpaths in the UK, I can't believe Google would have overlooked such a fundamental fact. Not to mention that the vehicle pictured wouldn't fit down most paths." PC World features the trikes in Rome.

3 of 274 comments (clear)

  1. google + scuba = ? by skathe · · Score: 4, Interesting

    gooba? scoogle? scooble?

    just attach cameras to aquatic lifeforms and let us swim the depths of the oceans from our computers... no chance of being stabbed in the heart by a stingray, either!

  2. Just saw one of these.... by One+Louder · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I was a Seaworld in San Diego a few weeks back and one of these was driving around the various pathways taking shots for Street View. Haven't seen the data go live yet, though.

  3. There's a few businesses and the like... by wowbagger · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Actually, extending StreetView to things off the street makes sense to me, for certain values of "things off the street" - there's a few businesses and the like I'd like to see mapped.

    Example: I'd like to see my local zoo or one of our local museums set up so that I could use my GPS to find my way around - and being able to see some of the exhibits would be a bonus.

    If *I* ran those places, I'd be begging Google to scan my site!

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