Feds want robotaxis to signal ‘I’m driving’ with cyan-colored lights

After years of debating how driverless cars should tell the world no one is at the wheel — flashing text, audio alerts, custom lights — the feds just stepped in with a single answer: cyan.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released proposed changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108, specifically rewriting the rules to fit autonomous vehicles. It’s a mix of cutting red tape for human-free designs and standardizing how robotaxis communicate with the world around them — starting with a distinctive blue-green light.

NHTSA is proposing cyan-colored marker lamps “to clearly and consistently signal to law enforcement and other road users when an automated driving system is operating the vehicle.” Why cyan? The auto industry already uses red, amber, white, and flashing blue/red lights for such things as brakes, turn signals, headlights, and emergency vehicles. Cyan could theoretically fill the visual gap without confusing...

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