One question nobody seems to be asking about self-driving cars is, "What replaces the hand-wave?"
You know. When you're not sure whose turn it is to go at a stop sign, so the other driver waves you on. When you see a pedestrian waiting to cross the road, warily watching to make sure you're not going to run them over, so you wave to them.
Autonomous cars will need another way to communicate. We think installing robot hands on the steering wheel would be cool, but Ford has a far simpler plan.
- Autonomous driving move is active: solid white lights
- Vehicle is yielding: two white lights move side to side
- Vehicle is going: white lights blink rapidly
The light system was chosen after considering text displays (rejected because not all Americans are fluent in the same language), and symbols (rejected because they're hard to recognize and remember). Ford is working with the International Organization for Standardization and SAE International to standardize its light-based signals, making it universal across the auto industry.