Driverless cars have been in development for years, but challenges around how they interact with pedestrians and other vehicles have resulted in some delays.
IEEE, an organization dedicated to advancing technology solutions “for the benefit of humanity” has offered up a plan to help.
IEEE has proposed a plan for a fourth color of traffic light: adding white to the standard green, yellow and red display.
The organization believes the white light would help direct autonomous vehicles by tapping into their computer systems.
The white light would also serve as an indication to a human driver that the driverless vehicle in front of them is being controlled, and they should mimic its actions.
For example, if the driverless vehicle stops while a white light is indicated, the human driver behind them should stop too.
This way, the driverless vehicles can help control the flow of traffic while alerting the drivers around them as to what’s happening.
Co-author of the IEEE brief Ali Hajbabaie called the approach “a relatively new idea” but said that simulations determined the technology improved traffic flow.
