In the Hollywood version of the future, we all drive automated cars that can do the driving for us. Like in I Robot, when Will Smith's character takes a nap behind the wheel of the awesome Audi RSQ.

But now Google is working on its own automated car, using video cameras, radar sensors and laser range finders, and detailed maps to drive a prototype car.

The New York Times got to test drive the technology recently, in a Toyota Prius equipped with a camera mounted on top, a variety of sensors embedded in the vehicle and a route mapped out on GPS. The car stopped at stop signs, merged onto the highway, and announced each turn and crosswalk approach before they happened.

Google engineers say the car has been in just one accident, when another vehicle rear-ended it.

On its blog, the Google folks say they have high hopes for the technology: It could save up to half the 1.2 million lives lost each year to car accidents, they say. It could help reduce car usage by encouraging carpooling, and evolve into "highway trains of tomorrow", which would involve convoys of cars driving quickly down the same routes, supposedly preventing accidents and saving fuel.

"We've always been optimistic about technology's ability to advance society, which is why we have pushed so hard to improve the capabilities of self-driving cars beyond where they are today," said Sebastian Thrun, a Google engineer, on Google's blog. "While this project is very much in the experimental stage, it provides a glimpse of what transportation might look like in the future thanks to advanced computer science. And that future is very exciting."