Skip to main content

Google bullish on self-driving car project; posts dozens of manufacturing jobs

Alphabet Inc's self-driving project is advertising dozens of jobs on its website with a special focus on manufacturing expertise.

Thirty-six jobs related to the Google X car project were listed including engineers working on motion control, displays, robotics and sensors as well as managers charged with operations, materials and marketing.

Google, which declined to comment, has denied in the past that it had any interest in making cars. Many industry experts believe the tech giant will partner with an established carmaker, supplying the software that will pioneer the fully autonomous vehicle.

But the jobs listed provide a window into how much hardware Google may build to contribute to the cars of the future. Developing self-driving cars has been a key priority of traditional carmakers, technology companies like Apple Inc, Uber Technologies Inc and auto suppliers.

A manufacturing process engineer job listing says the post is responsible for "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."

A manufacturing supplier quality engineer will create and approve "manufacturing inspection processes, equipment, tools gauges and fixtures for raw material, mechanical components and mechanical assemblies."

A mechanical global supply chain manager, meanwhile, is responsible for manufacturing development execution, among other tasks.

In January, president of the Google self-driving car project, John Krafcik, said he wanted to form partnerships with established carmakers and suppliers in 2016 to accelerate work.

When he was hired in September, Krafcik's prior experience at Hyundai and Ford fuelled speculation that Google planned to build its own cars.

Google posted other jobs outside of manufacturing that provided clues as to the scope of the growing project.

A marketing manager position posted nine days ago requires someone to "shape go-to-market strategy and storytelling to win hearts and minds of community members, influencers and governments."

The company is even searching for a head of real estate and workplace services, suggesting that hiring may continue to rise.

Google currently tests its prototype cars in its home base of Mountain View, California and Austin, Texas. It announced last week it would expand testing to Kirkland, Washington later in February.

Popular posts from this blog

Virtual reality set to transform filmmaking

Chris Milk stepped onto a TED Conference stage and took the audience on an awe-inducing trip into the future of movies. While much of the early attention on virtual reality has focused on use of the immersive technology in video games, Milk and his US startup Vrse are using it to transform storytelling and filmgoing. "We have just started to scratch the surface of the true power of virtual reality," Milk said. "It's not a video game peripheral. It connects humans to other humans in a profound way... I think virtual reality has the potential to actually change the world." He had everyone in the Vancouver audience at TED , which ended Friday, hold Google Cardboard viewers to their eyes for what was billed as the world's collective virtual reality experience. Google Cardboard gear is literally that -- cardboard

10 Smartphones with Features that You Won't Find in Any Other Phone

Here’s a list of phones which are first-of-their-kind. From feature phones to smartphones, flat screen to curved, fragile to shatterproof, mobile phones have evolved over the years. Although many industry analysts would like to call the current level of innovation reaching a stagnation point, there still are some manufacturers which have been able to surprise consumers by truly packing something different in their smartphones. We have compiled a list of phones which offer first-of-its-kind features, and they are not merely concepts. 1. Motorola X force - Shatterproof display Display today is the most vulnerable yet the most neglected element in modern smartphones. But Motorola finally paid heed to the fragile screen with the launch of the the Motorola X Force – the world’s first smartphone with a shatterproof display. The phone uses the Moto ShatterShield display technology, which is said to be an integrated system consisting of five layers designed from material...

10 years of Twitter: Key milestones in the micro-blogging site's decade-long history

Over its 10-year history, Twitter has marked numerous world events and created its own unique moments. Here are a few key milestones in Twitter history: just setting up my twttr — Jack (@jack)  March 21, 2006 March 2006:  Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey (@jack) sent the first tweet, an automated message saying "just setting up my twttr." That same day, he sent the first live tweet, "inviting coworkers." Arrested — James Buck (@jamesbuck)  April 10, 2008 April 2008:  US university student James Buck (@jamesbuck) got off a one-word tweet "Arrested" after being taken into custody by Egyptian authorities at an anti-government protest in that country. In what is seen as an early demonstration of the power of Twitter to rally people to a cause, the resulting outcry prompted authorities to quickly restore his liberty. He proclaimed his release in a tweet reading "Free." http://twitpic.com/135xa - There's a plane in the Hudson. I'm ...