Who says road rage has to be limited to throwing your finger in the air or waving both hands around like an angry Italian? Isn't there anything more creative you can do? According to a small, Orange-based start-up, the answer is yes. Motor Mood (motormood.com) aims to give style to your aggression with light-up face decals that sort of resemble little emoji, allowing you to share your emotions with other drivers.
Someone tailgating you? Flash on the red, angry face. If someone is kind enough to let you over without a fuss, show him or her a smiley face. And yes, creepers, there's a handy flirty face.
It takes hands-free driving to a very literal level. The individual faces are sealed onto your car's rear window, and a one-button remote control attaches to your sun visor. The remote activates the face for 12 seconds. The four-person team at Motor Mood takes care of everything from engineering to marketing and believes in making the road a safer, more entertaining place.
Unfortunately, because Motor Mood is in its early stages, there are a few things that are still being worked on. Right now, you need a separate remote for each face, and that could crowd your visor. It would also be nice to have more than three options. For instance, it could be very helpful to have a face that would stay lit while communicating that you're running late. Of course, because the technology is so new, many people might be perplexed as to why you're flashing a winky face at them. There's also the question of whether showing an angry face to a tailgater makes a difference—they don't seem to mind when I show them my real angry face. But the Motor Mood team plan to streamline the product and offer more facial expressions in the future. Each face and remote will retail for about $20.
If it's the kind of accessory you want to see on the market, visit the website for details on an upcoming Kickstarter. You can also sign up for updates and be among the first to confuse and amuse people on the road.
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