This fourth traffic light color could help autonomous vehicles to co-exist with human drivers.
A traffic light controls the flow of vehicles and pedestrians on April 20, 2005, near downtown Chicago, Illinois. According to a survey released today, the nation's traffic signals are mostly inefficient, leading to unnecessary delays, wasted fuel, and increased air pollution as vehicles constantly stop and go.
As of press time, Tesla and other automakers are making drastic efforts to design and manufacture vehicles with self-driving capabilities.
Of course, their self-driving technologies are still far from perfect.
Because of this, tech enthusiasts believe the world is still far from having human drivers and self-driving cars on the same roads.
But, North Carolina State University Civil Engineer Ali Hajbabaie claims that his traffic light tech can help make this possible.
Fourth Traffic Light Color for Autonomous Cars
According to Business Insider's latest report, Ali envisions a state where humans and autonomous cars can exist with each other harmoniously.
This picture was taken on November 30, 2021, and shows a view of a passenger monitor showing road navigation and obstacle avoidance from the interior of one of the self-driving taxis being used in a tech demonstration in the UAE capital Abu Dhabi, to transport passengers to the nearby Yas Island.
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He believes that his fourth traffic light color will help this become a reality. Instead of using red, yellow, or green, Ali wants to use a white traffic light color.
This additional traffic light color will order robots, prioritizing them over human drivers; but people can still follow these self-driving cars ("Robots, go! Humans, follow!").
Based on their simulations, Hajbabaie and his team said that the white traffic light color is very useful when 10% of the cars are autonomous vehicles.
"In our tests, we observe a 3% or so reduction in travel time," said Ali. You can click this link to see more details about this fourth traffic light color.
When Will Self-Driving Cars Replace Human Drivers?
Many enthusiasts believe that self-driving cars will not replace human drivers in the near future.
However, they expect autonomous vehicles to become widely available across the globe in the coming years; specifically around 2040 or later.
Forbes reported that self-driving cars could solve numerous road problems around the world. These include the following:
- Carbon emissions could be reduced drastically.
- Roads would be safer.
- Commuting would be more bearable.
- Self-driving cars can urge people to avoid domestic air travel.
In other news, next-gen Ford EVs might no longer have AM radio.
We also reported about the upcoming Tesla crash repair centers in Australia.
For more news updates about car technologies, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
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