How can a smiling car make roads safer?

Eight out of 10 people try to make eye contact with a driver before crossing the street, but with the future looking toward driverless and autonomous vehicles, that may one day not be so easy. The stat, provided by Semcon, is one reason the company is looking to make self-driving cars interact with those traveling by foot.

When a car’s sensors detect a pedestrian, a signal lights up a smile on the front of vehicle, indicating it will stop.

"The strength behind The Smiling Car is that we allow people to communicate in the way they are used to, instead of taking an unnecessary detour via technology," Karin Eklund, head of user experience at Semcon, told New Atlas.