One of the realities that we will have to face in, oh I don't know, 5 or so years, is that there will be a mixture of different cars on the road. Some will operate with drivers. And some will operate with no drivers. Assuming that the cars with no drivers do well at their job, I would imagine that this will become the default. But in the interim, it'll probably be useful to know which is which. And that's why Mercedes-Benz (and probably others) has been working to establish a new internationally-accepted signal for computer-driven cars.

The decision so far: turquoise lights.

The company has just received permits from the states of California and Nevada for its Drive Pilot system, and as part of this, turquoise lights were earmarked for this exact purpose. Supposedly turquoise was chosen because it's distinct and because there's nothing else on the road that uses it. But I think the real reason is that it looks cool and kind of cyberpunk. So I hope this does become the standard way that we all visualize our shift toward autonomy. I can already imagine the long-exposure photography that will follow of our roads.

Images: Mercedes Benz via The Drive

One of the realities that we will have to face in, oh I don't know, 5 or so years, is that there will be a mixture of different cars on the road. Some will operate with drivers. And some will operate with no drivers. Assuming that the cars with no drivers do well at their job, I would imagine that this will become the default. But in the interim, it'll probably be useful to know which is which. And that's why Mercedes-Benz (and probably others) has been working to establish a new internationally-accepted signal for computer-driven cars.

The decision so far: turquoise lights.

The company has just received permits from the states of California and Nevada for its Drive Pilot system, and as part of this, turquoise lights were earmarked for this exact purpose. Supposedly turquoise was chosen because it's distinct and because there's nothing else on the road that uses it. But I think the real reason is that it looks cool and kind of cyberpunk. So I hope this does become the standard way that we all visualize our shift toward autonomy. I can already imagine the long-exposure photography that will follow of our roads.

Images: Mercedes Benz via The Drive