Outta My Way! How Will We Translate Google's Self-Driving Honks?

Google's cuddly-looking robotic cars have taken a big step on the way to developing a harder edge: they've learned to honk. In the Google Self-Driving Car Project's latest monthly report (PDF), the company says it has been testing horn algorithms in its prototype cars for some time, playing the horn sound inside the cars as a way to make sure they're not beeping in a way that would confuse other drivers. As the algorithm has improved, the cars have recently begun "broadcasting our car horn to the world." Google says its cars are meant to be "polite, considerate, and only honk when it makes driving safer for everyone." That would represent a significant departure from how most humans use their horns.