If you think about it, motorists are limited to a very perfunctory and at-times ambiguous vocabulary when it comes to signaling to cars behind them: You have your turn signals and brake lights, but really that's about it... short of sticking your hand out the window for certain choice gestures, or attempting to make dubious eye contact in the mirror. Enter Drivemotion, an LED sign that you can attach to your back window that will let you show your appreciation, anger and even flirt with fellow drivers—if you're into that kind of thing.
The newest installment in this potentially creepy innovation is a programmable version called "Animator" that allows drivers to customize the message they're sending on the road through text and smilies.
From a glance, it looks like you attach a remote control to your front window, giving you access to change the sign's message while you drive. To me, this sounds like a on-road hazard waiting to happen: You're messing with the controls and trying to send a well-meaning winky face to the gal behind you and suddenly you've got that same lady smashing up your bumper after you've tapped the brakes a little too quickly (talk about a DOA relationship). I'd say this would be a fun thing to add to your daily commute if it didn't have so much potential for disastrous distraction. Check out the video below for a look at all of the animation possibilities "Animator" has to offer. Warning: There is definitely a NSFW animation or two, so beware.
I can only imagine what the prototyping process was like for this product—the potential for mixed messages is so real, it's funny. What do you think, designers and drivers: Would you be down to debut a design like this on your rear window?
If you're amenable to the idea, check out Drivemotion's campaign on Kickstarter—they're well short of their $20,000 goal, with just under two weeks to go as of press time.
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Comments
The risk of accidents is real. I wonder how it would be like when tried?
We already have flashers, break lights, reverse lights. Could we include a couple of more signs without interfering with our driving?