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Shaking Your Head at Other Drivers: Head Nod Problem of Driverless Cars
Dr. Lance B. Eliot, AI Insider
I drove up to a four-way stop in my neighborhood the other day, and arrived just as another car happened to arrive (catty-corner of me).
There we were, two cars and their human drivers, trying to ascertain which of us would proceed next. You’ve undoubtedly been in this same kind of stand-off. Should you go ahead, or should you wait for the other driver to proceed? You might inch forward, hoping to suggest you want to go first. Meanwhile, the other car inches forward too. Realizing that you both were starting to roll forward, you both abruptly come to a complete stop again. How long will this last? We might stay this way for a minute, five minutes, or maybe five years.
Finally, by a head nod, I signaled subtly to the other driver that he could make passage safely through the intersection and I would wait accordingly.
The other driver hit the gas and went along his merry way. Accident averted.
Another world crisis solved. By the rules-of-the-road in my state, he admittedly had right-of-way since the rule is that if two cars arrive at the four-way at the same moment in time, the one to the right gets to proceed. I think we were both unsure of whether we had exactly both arrived at the same…
