Car News

Driver Emoticons: MotorMood Brings Emojis To The Road

MotorMood Driver Emoticon

If you’ve ever wanted to thank another driver on the road, MotorMood has a solution: their new remote controlled light-up happy face which allows you to thank other drivers with the press of a button.

A single push of the remote button activates the happy face, causing it to light up for six seconds before automatically shutting off.

Presently, MotorMood offers three colors to choose from, which include blue, pink and green with remotes to match. As some jurisdictions require it, there’s also a red happy face. But if you’re not happy with just one color, that’s alright because new colors can be swapped in with minimal effort.

In order to attach to the car’s rear window, where its maker intends for it to be placed, the face includes removable adhesive clips. As for the remote, it’s designed to be clipped onto the sun visor in a fashion similar to that of a garage door opener.

For those concerned with wires, there’s no reason to fret as the entire system is battery-powered and wireless.

According to Alex Sewell, Vice President of MotorMood, the emoticon for drivers was designed with the goal of making the road “a happier place” by allowing drivers to “say thanks” and promoting positivity on the road.

In regards to any potential road safety concerns derived from the product’s use, Mr. Sewell wrote in an e-mail to Immortal News that MotorMood was “in communication with NHTSA and CHP to make sure” that the product they were developing was both safe as well as legal. He went on to indicate that the company even went as far as to examine “existing research which showed that smiley faces not only trigger the same emotions as human smiles,” but they also exhibit “the power to reduce anger and aggression in teens.”

While developing MotorMood, we were in communication with NHTSA and CHP to make sure we were developing a product that was safe and legal.  We even looked at existing research which showed that smiley faces not only trigger the same emotions as human smiles, but also has the power to reduce anger and aggression in teens.

In regards to triggering the same emotions as real human smiles, Sewell was referring to a study conducted by Australia’s Flinders University in Adelaide which found that “the pattern of brain activity triggered by looking at an emoticon smiley face is now the same as when someone sees a real smiling human face.”

As for teenage anger and aggression reduction, a reference to an unrelated study conducted by researchers at the University of Bristol in England which found happy faces to reduce aggression and anger in teens.

In order to make their smiley face car mod a reality for drivers who want to express their gratitude on the road, the company has launched a fundraising campaign on Kickstarter in which the company aims to raise at least $130,500 by July 30, 2015.

Thus far, the company has managed to raise over $34,000 from over 154 backers. That’s over 25 percent of the campaign’s goal and there are still 33 days left to go before the fundraiser comes to an end.

The emoticon holds a retail price of $30, however, those who get an early can save some money on their purchase, as the company is offering an early bird special to those who get in early.

If the company manages to raise $200,000 through their fundraising efforts, they plan on crafting a “Winky MotorMood” to let folks flirt with the car behind them.

What are your thoughts on MotorMood’s emoticons for drivers?

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