This was interesting to think about as I was reading hoe in Japan they were testing the idea of putting eyeball designs at the front of the car where this would give bystanders visual reference if the vehicle actually recognizes them in sight. The rationale is that you can’t tell if an autonomous vehicle actually knows you are there to be confident that it won’t just drive into you. Therefore, putting these eyes on it will give you immediate reference on whether or not the vehicle detects you.
It looks extremely silly when you think about it since it feels very cartoony per se. But it could honestly be a sensible way to accomplish their goal in that aspect. I could easily see these types of ideas getting scoffed at during meetings to the point where they would never see the light of day. So, it’s a reminder that you have to keep an open mind regardless of how crazy an idea may sound initially.
Initially I could imagine the eyes actually distracting bystanders sine it looks so unusual. Imagine people holding up traffic to get a selfie with the vehicle.