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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nI\u2019ll make no secret of the fact that I\u2019m not a fan of autonomous cars. For one thing, a lot of people like the feeling of being in charge of where they\u2019re going. For another, well, we\u2019ve all had those moments when other electronic bits and pieces flop and crash, and generally don\u2019t do what they\u2019re supposed to do. An autocorrect fail is not usually life-threatening, and an app that refuses to open won\u2019t kill you. However, we can all imagine what could go wrong with a car that (supposedly) thinks for itself. However, computers don\u2019t get drunk or distracted, so the idea is that autonomous cars will make things safer overall on the roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, among several things that autonomous cars have problems with, shared zones are one of them. Shared zones are those parts of the road where pedestrians and cars can share the same space. They\u2019re usually found in commercial areas of town with lots of shops and eateries. You\u2019ve probably used one of these at some point \u2013 I know I have. The thing with these spaces is that the issue of who gives way to whom is often sorted out through a complex series of gestures and eye contact between drivers and passengers. For example, if I\u2019m the driver going through one of these shared zones, I can see a person on the side of the road who looks like they want to cross my path, make eye contact with him or her, then tell him or her to go first with a wave of my hand or a jerk of my head \u2013 and the pedestrian may do the same, or accept the offer to go first with a nod, a smile, a thumbs-up\u2026 or just stepping out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The problem is that autonomous cars just aren\u2019t equipped for this. Part of the problem is that they can\u2019t cope with body language and all the subtle nuances that humans can do without thinking. We\u2019re good at this sort of thing. However, another part of the problem, according to some Japanese researchers, is that pedestrians don\u2019t know if the car is \u201clooking\u201d in their direction or is about to move in a certain direction. Indicators and brake lights help, but they can only convey big-picture information: left, right and stop. With cars driven by humans, the drivers do subtle things that suggest they\u2019re about to do something, which another human can pick up on, such as inching forwards, adjusting positioning on the road prior to making a move. However, autonomous cars just do it, like the Nike ad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What if cars could somehow make eye contact with pedestrians and telegraph what they\u2019re about to do and\/or let pedestrians know that the car has \u201cseen\u201d the pedestrian? Well, it\u2019s being tried by some Korean researchers, who have decided that the solution is to give autonomous cars big googly eyes. It\u2019s called the Gazing Car concept. The idea is that the big eyes will \u201clook\u201d at the part of the road that the sensors are focused on. This means that pedestrians will know if the car has registered their presence or if the car is about to move in that particular direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can see the promo video for the Gazing Car here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n