JLR Developed 'Eyes' For An Autonomous Pod And The Results Are Haunting
If the future of motoring really is autonomous, pedestrians are going to have to trust the hoards of self-driving vehicles plying the roads. For instance, if you rock up to a crossing, can you be sure that a one-and-a-bit tonne, computer-controlled chunk of metal is definitely going to stop for you?
One solution to this problem of confidence touted by Jaguar Land Rover is eyes. Yep, the British company - working together with a team of cognitive psychologists - has attached eyes to a fleet of “intelligent pods” supplied by a company called Aurrigo, and the results are just a little creepy.
These are a little more complex than those comedy value headlight covers you buy on eBay to stick on your MX-5 for the lols. They actually ‘look’ for approaching pedestrians, attempting to make ‘eye contact’. This is intended to provide a visual signal “that it has identified them, and intends to take avoiding action.”
The pods are being tested on a mock-up street at a facility in Coventry, where engineers have been monitoring the behaviour of pedestrians as they interact with the vehicles. “Trust levels” are somehow recorded before and after ‘eye contact’ is made.
This all makes a certain degree sense, but we’re not sure why the eyes themselves have to look so damn sad…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
this is nightmare content here
No no no no no no no this is creepy no no no
Even the robot is sad that actual cars have been replaced by the likes of him :(
Detroit: Become A Car
wow! that would be the future of the automotive death stare.
How will these things make eye contact when 80% or more people have their faces buried in their phones/tablets before crossing the road?
someone put it out of it’s misery
Maybe its sad because it knows it wont be fun to drive since the driver doesn’t actually drive it?
I can see Jalopnik write in-depth article about this and cars in Cars movies. They’re beating the dead horse for a 3 or more years now