Google Puts Doodles On Its Self-Driving Cars

Google has expended a lot of energy making its self-driving cars look adorable and nonthreatening (as opposed to Christine-like motorized murder machines). Now the fleet of self-driving ladybugs is getting even friendlier, thanks to California artists.

As part of its "Paint the Town" project, Google asked the local art community to submit original works of art that reflected the theme "My community, my neighbors." It then took 10 winners and two honorable mentions and slapped the pieces on the doors of Google's self-driving car prototypes. It's like a Google Doodle for the sides of the company's cars.

The chosen works of art tend to be bright, cheery, and anodyne. They include colorful paintings of birds sitting on a San Francisco power line, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Highway 101 at sunset, poppies in bloom, and more.

All of the self-driving cars decorated so far are located in the greater Bay Area, but it looks like the program will expand alongside Google's market testing. Google just wrapped up submissions for paintings for the side of its cars in Austin, so expect to see more of these tattooed vehicles rolling out in the future.

You can read more about Google's self-driving car paint project here.

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