A Waymo engineer told us why a virtual-world simulation is crucial to the future of self-driving cars GOOGL

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James Stout was convinced that he'd become a neuroscientist, but a shift to computer science led him to Google and later Waymo, where he pioneered on the company's virtual-realty testing simulation, Carcraft.

Carcraft has tested vehicles in five billion miles of simulations, while Waymo has racked up a mere eight million miles of autonomous driving in the real world.

More recently, simulated testing has begun to merge with actual testing and Waymo has been able to install sim systems in real-world vehicles.

Editor's note: Business Insider had the chance to speak with Waymo employees from different parts of the company to learn more about their work. What we discovered were some of the coolest jobs at Alphabet, Waymo's parent company. This is the second in the series. For a brief history of Waymo, click here.

Waymo has racked up over eight million self-driving miles since the former Google Car project kicked off almost a decade ago. But that impressive real-world number is nothing compared to the mileage amassed in virtual reality.See the rest of the story at Business InsiderNOW WATCH: Waymo is now letting ordinary people sign up to test its self-driving cars in PhoenixSee Also:Tesla's board has formed a special committee to consider going privateSome of Tesla's board members were reportedly 'totally blindsided' by Elon Musk's tweet about going private'It was, at best, hasty and naive, and, at worst, manipulative': Experts slam Elon Musk's confusing defense of why he tweeted 'funding secured'FOLLOW US: On Facebook for more car and transportation content!

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