If You Get In the Way of Google's Self-Driving Car, It Might Shout at You Forget wimpy horn-honking. Google's autonomous ride could blast messages at passersby from external loudspeakers.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Google | Self Driving Car Website

Drivers yell at pedestrians all of the time. Why shouldn't self-driving cars do the same? Judging from a patent recently granted to the tech company, Google's driverless vehicles may soon do exactly that.

The drawing-packed U.S. patent, awarded last week, sheds some much-anticipated light on how Google's autonomous car could interact with pedestrians. And, by the looks of it, the cute little whip won't always quietly roll on by.

If, for example, the external loudspeaker concept laid out in the patent is added to the car's design, the vehicle will be able to bark out amplified alerts, like "safe to cross" and "coming through." (We can't help but wonder what the car might say to the cops in the event of a pull over. Or to the human drivers who dare cut it off or, worse, hit it.)

Related: Buckle Up: Google's Self-Driving Cars to Hit the Open Road

Canned audible warnings may not be the only way Google's self-driving ride will "talk" with pedestrians. Also on the table: electronic video screens attached to the car's sides -- and potentially on its bumper, roof and hood -- displaying various traffic sign-like images. The graphics would inform pedestrians of when it's okay to safely cross the roadway in front of the vehicle. Robotic hands that signal to pedestrians and robotic eyes that let pedestrians know it "sees" them are additional possibilities.

Even if Google's driverless cars become adept communicators, you bet we're still going to stop, look and listen before crossing the road near one.

Related: Google Granted Patent for Airbags That Deploy on the Outside of Self-Driving Cars

Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist at Los Angeles CityBeat, a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to the Los Angeles Times. She has also written for Government Technology magazine, LA Yoga magazine, the Lowell Sun newspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at @Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebook here

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Living

9 Ways to Attract Good Energy Today and Every Day

Good energy can boost our feelings of well-being, dissolve feelings of anxiety and improve communication.

Business News

'I Love Doing Product Reviews': Bill Gates Stepped Down from Microsoft in 2020, But Admits He Still Spends 15% of His Time Working at the Company

In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal, Gates also said he is still close with Microsoft's CEO Satya Nadella.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Business News

'Everyone Can Profit From It': What Is DeepSeek? China's 'Cheap' to Make AI Chatbot Climbs to the Top of Apple, Google U.S. App Stores

DeepSeek researchers claim it was developed for less than $6 million, a contrast to the $100 million it takes U.S. tech startups to create AI.

Business News

Elon Musk's DOGE Is Hiring People Eager to 'Work Long Hours' to Eliminate 'Waste, Fraud and Abuse' in the Government. Here's How to Apply.

The Department of Government Efficiency is hiring U.S. citizens to help cut spending and headcounts in the federal government.

Business News

Uber's CEO Says Drivers Have About 10 Years Left Before They Will Be Replaced

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the jobs of human drivers are safe for the next decade, but after that, another type of driver will take over.