Mercedes Class S "Co-operative Car": this is how autonomous cars will communicate with pedestrians

If the electrification of cars is one of the great revolutions coming in the coming years, autonomous driving is another. For this, we must bear in mind that in this second case we have to consider that cars will move without an active driver. So, how can pedestrians know how to react to an autonomous vehicle? To solve this, Mercedes has presented the “Co-operative Car“, a car designed so that the pedestrian knows whether the car is taking them into account or not.

For now, this concept model will be used to see how pedestrians react to the presence of a car with autonomous driving. The car is a Class S saloon equipped with several sensors, lights and directional speakers that allow the car to communicate with pedestrians so they can understand the signals it emits during the journey.

To begin with, the car warns that it is operating in autonomous mode with a series of turquoise lights. This colour was chosen because it is not used on any other type of vehicle. For example, using blue could lead to it being confused with emergency vehicles and failing to fulfil its purpose. After this work, this could become the standardised colour for signalling autonomous cars. At least, we hope everyone agrees and does not end up confusing pedestrians.

On the front upper section there are two strips of LED light in this colour, which form “pupils” that move to alert the pedestrian that the sensors are working and scanning around the vehicle, so it is easy to determine whether it has identified the pedestrian or not. These lights are also on the rear, and there are other light groups placed above the windscreen and the rear quarter window.

These announce the car’s movement, whether it is about to set off and even the direction it is going to take. It also features a facial recognition system so that if the car detects that the pedestrian has not noticed it, it can emit a gentle warning sound through the directional speakers.

With the data obtained from this car, it will be possible to improve the behaviour of the autonomous car with respect to pedestrians, but also that of pedestrians with respect to the autonomous car. Little by little, it will be possible to achieve a more natural and practical autonomous driving system and improve safety when this type of car finally reaches the market.