Automobiles of the future may communicate with body language

Monday, July 26, 2004 by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...) Tags: car technology, future vehicles, body language

https://www.naturalnews.com/000368.html

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This technology is being used to enhance the communication abilities of vehicles so that drivers can send more complex signals to the other drivers around them on the road. Today, you can only honk your horn, or tap your brake lights, flash your headlights or use your turn signals, and these signals are rather one-dimensional. It's difficult to show a wide range of emotional expression, such as thanking another driver for letting you enter the lane, or expressing disapproval at another driver who inappropriately cuts in front of you.

The channels for this communication are being selected due to the human affinity for naturally understanding facial expressions and body language. Humans are hard-wired to understand certain facial expressions, and even when machines mimic those facial expressions, the intent or emotion is still communicated quite clearly to human observers. In other words, an expression or display of body language doesn't have to come from another human being in order to be meaningful to the observer. So, a car can appear angry just as a robot can display emotions.

I believe this technology holds the promise for being far more than just entertainment, by the way. I think this could help drivers get along better on the roads and share their judgments about each other's driving habits in a way that makes driving less frustrating, less stressful, and less troublesome for everyone involved. Because today, it's too easy to jump to strong negative conclusions about someone honking their horn or flashing their headlights, when in fact they may mean something far less intimidating. With the appropriate technology, they will finally be able to display those other emotions and get the point across that they intended. With this vehicle technology, there's simply less opportunity for drivers to misinterpret each others' intentions.