WEBVTT
Kind: captions
Language: en

00:00:00.060 --> 00:00:02.971
Hello and welcome to No Effort November,

00:00:02.971 --> 00:00:07.643
aseries of videos for the month of November in which no effort is made.

00:00:08.356 --> 00:00:10.050
Ignore all this, doesn’t matter.

00:00:10.050 --> 00:00:16.340
Have you ever wondered what makes big trucks
and vans go *beep beep beep* when they’re backing up?

00:00:16.340 --> 00:00:19.109
Well, it’s one of these!

00:00:19.109 --> 00:00:22.613
This is a reverse alarm, also known as a back-up alarm

00:00:22.613 --> 00:00:25.525
(but not backup as in “reserve” ...

00:00:25.525 --> 00:00:26.702
but “reverse”).

00:00:26.702 --> 00:00:28.948
And the way it works is really clever:

00:00:28.948 --> 00:00:34.958
Inside this enclosure is a small studio apartment
in which lives a tiny little man named Glorbus.

00:00:34.958 --> 00:00:39.221
His next-door neighbor curses like a sailorwhenever a vehicle’s backing up,

00:00:39.221 --> 00:00:45.060
and Glorbus is tasked with hitting a bleep button so innocent ears around aren’t offended.

00:00:45.060 --> 00:00:46.550
It’s a pretty simple concept!

00:00:47.085 --> 00:00:51.600
Much like a sliding door, that intro was unhinged.

00:00:51.600 --> 00:00:56.563
This is, though, a pretty simple device - it’s just a weather-resistant loudspeaker

00:00:56.563 --> 00:01:02.095
hooked up to some sort of circuit that will make it go “beep beep”
when you run DC power through it.

00:01:04.030 --> 00:01:08.541
Why don’t I run some DC power through thisso we can observe what it does?

00:01:08.541 --> 00:01:12.159
For this next trick, I shall need to don hearing protection.

00:01:21.427 --> 00:01:22.568
Oh well.

00:01:22.568 --> 00:01:24.339
Are you ready?

00:01:24.339 --> 00:01:25.710
Here we go.

00:01:25.710 --> 00:01:28.182
BEEP BEEP BEEP

00:01:35.872 --> 00:01:38.215
[beeping stops]

00:01:38.215 --> 00:01:40.699
I mean the point is to get your attention,

00:01:40.699 --> 00:01:44.979
but I think we can all agree these things are kind of obnoxious.

00:01:44.979 --> 00:01:49.290
But they are undeniably a pretty solid idea with good intentions,

00:01:49.290 --> 00:01:51.769
and wouldn’t ya know it, these are changing -

00:01:51.769 --> 00:01:58.734
they’re getting better, much less obnoxious, and are starting to end up in all sorts of places you might not expect.

00:01:58.734 --> 00:02:01.380
But before we get to the newfangled future,

00:02:01.380 --> 00:02:04.975
let’s talk a little bit more about the oldfangled kind.

00:02:04.975 --> 00:02:08.254
These aren’t exclusively used in automotive applications -

00:02:08.254 --> 00:02:14.110
plenty of heavy equipment is fitted with one of these bleepers to warn those around it that it’s in motion.

00:02:14.110 --> 00:02:17.574
In that case it might be called a vehicle motion alarm,

00:02:17.574 --> 00:02:23.460
but for the purposes of this video,
I’m gonna stick to trucks and vans and other such road vehicles

00:02:23.460 --> 00:02:29.962
because unless you hang around construction sites like some
sort of practical engineer that’s where you’re more likely to hear them.

00:02:29.962 --> 00:02:31.599
I think anyway.

00:02:31.599 --> 00:02:36.408
In those cases, these come on when the vehicle they’re attached to is in reverse -

00:02:36.408 --> 00:02:40.550
the driver of a large vehicle doesn’t have great visibility when backing up,

00:02:40.550 --> 00:02:43.676
so these things became mandated by…

00:02:44.211 --> 00:02:45.246
hold on a minute.

00:02:45.246 --> 00:02:47.054
It’s an OSHA thing‽

00:02:47.869 --> 00:02:50.085
And here I thought it was a NHTSA thing.

00:02:50.085 --> 00:02:51.661
Learn something new every day.

00:02:51.661 --> 00:02:56.339
Apparently it’s the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that mandates these things

00:02:56.339 --> 00:03:02.773
on any motor vehicle equipment in use by an employer with an obstructed view to the rear.

00:03:02.773 --> 00:03:08.550
That suggests (here in the US anyway) the only reason these exist is to protect workers on a jobsite

00:03:08.550 --> 00:03:12.378
and the general public is just kinda-sorta getting some free help from them

00:03:12.378 --> 00:03:18.191
because company vehicles technically encounter
job sites back at the warehouse or whatever.

00:03:18.191 --> 00:03:19.394
Huh.

00:03:19.394 --> 00:03:25.102
By the way, I can’t believe we let NHTSA get away with making that a spoken acronym.

00:03:25.102 --> 00:03:26.541
It sounds like a sneeze.

00:03:27.483 --> 00:03:34.085
Anyway, installing one of these on a road vehicle is pretty easy
because a road vehicle has reverse lights.

00:03:34.085 --> 00:03:38.794
Just tap into the power for one of those,
give the alarm a good ground, and you’re done!

00:03:38.794 --> 00:03:44.000
The alarm will automatically start beeping
when you shift that vehicle into reverse.

00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:46.069
Wondering what I mean by a good ground?

00:03:46.069 --> 00:03:51.410
Well, in case you didn’t know, wiring things in vehicles is very weird!

00:03:51.410 --> 00:03:53.290
You usually only need one wire

00:03:53.290 --> 00:03:57.895
because the entire metal body of the car 
is connected to one side of the battery

00:03:57.895 --> 00:04:02.870
(almost always the negative terminal… but not always always 
because we didn’t used to know any better).

00:04:02.870 --> 00:04:05.049
Anyway, why don’t I show you?

00:04:05.049 --> 00:04:07.230
This here is an automotive test light.

00:04:07.230 --> 00:04:09.778
It’s a light bulb inside of a stick

00:04:09.778 --> 00:04:12.528
with one of its power leads running to this clippy thing

00:04:12.528 --> 00:04:15.762
and the other attached to the poky bit at the end.

00:04:15.762 --> 00:04:20.522
If I hook each end of this thing up to an appropriate power supply,

00:04:20.522 --> 00:04:23.547
you’ll see that the lamp lights.

00:04:23.547 --> 00:04:27.791
In a car, if I clip this thing to the positive terminal of the battery,

00:04:27.791 --> 00:04:32.716
it will light up whenever I poke any metal part of the car with the pokey bit.

00:04:32.716 --> 00:04:38.186
That happens because the whole vehicle is
a wire back to the other side of the battery.

00:04:38.186 --> 00:04:40.098
In the case of the backup alarm,

00:04:40.098 --> 00:04:45.031
this metal piece on its attachment bracket is bonded to its negative power terminal.

00:04:45.031 --> 00:04:48.811
That way, so long as you’re bolting it to a metal part of the car,

00:04:48.811 --> 00:04:56.044
that bolt will provide a ground connection and a single wire from the reverse light to its positive terminal will make it work.

00:04:56.044 --> 00:04:58.639
But how exactly does it work?

00:04:58.639 --> 00:05:04.410
It’s gotta have some sort of circuitry in
there to make the loudspeaker vibrate and make sound.

00:05:04.410 --> 00:05:09.001
It could be just like a 555 timer chip acting as an oscillator

00:05:09.001 --> 00:05:11.924
and with some capacitors and maybe a transistor and junk

00:05:11.924 --> 00:05:18.190
you could probably just chop the 12V DC up and drive the loudspeaker quasi-directly.

00:05:18.190 --> 00:05:24.370
do that through a thermal switch like a turn signal flasher to make it beep intermittently and there you go!

00:05:24.370 --> 00:05:29.074
Or maybe add another 555 timer chip if you’re being fancy.

00:05:29.074 --> 00:05:33.780
But these days, I mean there could be a whole microcontroller in there.

00:05:33.780 --> 00:05:35.979
Those things are just too cheap.

00:05:35.979 --> 00:05:40.742
Unfortunately these devices have their circuitry potted in a deep sea of resin

00:05:40.742 --> 00:05:46.735
because the intent is for this thing to just get bolted
to the back of a truck and it’s gonna see all manner of weather

00:05:46.735 --> 00:05:50.582
(and who knows might literally end up underwater at some point).

00:05:50.938 --> 00:05:51.882
But!

00:05:51.882 --> 00:05:53.878
Through the magic of buying two of them,

00:05:53.878 --> 00:05:55.898
and some patience with a Dremel tool,

00:05:55.898 --> 00:05:58.732
I was able to de-pot this one behind the scenes.

00:05:59.267 --> 00:06:00.910
And then I cut it open.

00:06:00.910 --> 00:06:04.619
Surprisingly, this thing was filled with sand!

00:06:04.619 --> 00:06:06.834
And least I sure hope that’s sand.

00:06:06.834 --> 00:06:14.654
And unfortunately, its circuit board is trapped in that epoxy resin 
so there’s no way we’re gonna get a good look at it.

00:06:14.654 --> 00:06:16.253
But that’s ok,

00:06:16.253 --> 00:06:18.217
I have a backup alarm!

00:06:19.006 --> 00:06:21.369
Just because it’s November doesn’t mean I’m not prepared.

00:06:21.369 --> 00:06:26.470
And this’s one’s circuit board was just chilling in the sand so we can look at it.

00:06:26.470 --> 00:06:31.081
And, yeah. It’s a mysterious six pin chip that drives this little MOSFET

00:06:31.081 --> 00:06:35.699
and that MOSFET simply shunts the loudspeaker across the DC pins.

00:06:35.699 --> 00:06:38.586
Do that fast enough and you’ll make an audible tone.

00:06:38.586 --> 00:06:41.940
Then do that intermittently and you’ll get a series of beeps.

00:06:41.940 --> 00:06:45.380
So, indeed, it’s not very complicated.

00:06:45.380 --> 00:06:52.863
Now, here’s an idea, one very silly thing you can do
is put one of these on a car that absolutely does not need it.

00:06:52.863 --> 00:06:57.572
[reverse alarm sounding]
Weird small cars like a Nissan Figaro can be made even weirder

00:06:57.572 --> 00:07:00.157
with the simple addition of one of these.

00:07:00.157 --> 00:07:03.336
A Smart car or mini cooper are also excellent choices.

00:07:03.336 --> 00:07:05.706
Your neighbors will love it!

00:07:05.706 --> 00:07:07.710
Oh! That reminds me.

00:07:07.710 --> 00:07:11.949
Did you know this silly little car came with a back-up beeper from the factory?

00:07:12.433 --> 00:07:16.681
It’s a Japanese domestic market car, so it beeps when you put it in reverse!

00:07:16.681 --> 00:07:20.356
But, the beeps are coming from inside the car!

00:07:20.356 --> 00:07:27.750
This has baffled many automotive reviewer journalist personality-tuber guys
who have found this behavior in cars to be completely silly.

00:07:27.750 --> 00:07:31.357
It has leaked through some US-market cars, notably the Prius,

00:07:31.357 --> 00:07:36.816
and some people just can’t contain their befuddlement at the idea
when they first encounter it, but I…

00:07:36.816 --> 00:07:39.101
see I have a different take.

00:07:39.101 --> 00:07:46.078
I’ve been so fortunate to be stuck behind someone in a drive thru
or at a red light several times in my life now

00:07:46.078 --> 00:07:53.088
who previously made an adjustment maneuver for some 
unknown reason which involved shifting the car into reverse.

00:07:53.088 --> 00:07:56.272
And when they had finished with their adjustment maneuver…

00:07:56.272 --> 00:07:58.736
they left their car in reverse!

00:07:58.736 --> 00:08:02.420
So, they’re just sitting there in front of me with their foot on the brake…

00:08:02.420 --> 00:08:04.527
and in reverse.

00:08:04.527 --> 00:08:12.370
So I, for one, would actually appreciate every car
(with an automatic transmission at least) having a beeper for its driver

00:08:12.370 --> 00:08:17.861
to make it bloody obvious the car is gonna go backwards when you let off the brake.

00:08:17.861 --> 00:08:23.357
That’s an abnormal condition for any car to be in and it’s important to know!

00:08:23.357 --> 00:08:28.464
So I think having a beeper for the driver is actually a pretty good idea,

00:08:28.464 --> 00:08:30.586
and while you might find it kind of over the top,

00:08:30.586 --> 00:08:37.227
let me remind you that a full half of all drivers out on the road 
are worse than the average driver.

00:08:37.227 --> 00:08:39.057
And that’s a fact!

00:08:39.057 --> 00:08:41.280
But let’s get back to the reverse alarm.

00:08:41.280 --> 00:08:43.892
But first, let’s get back to reverse lights.

00:08:43.892 --> 00:08:46.580
Because a funny thing happened with reverse lights.

00:08:46.580 --> 00:08:49.601
We stopped using them for the thing they’re there for.

00:08:49.601 --> 00:08:58.570
Or, I guess, we mostly forgot why they’re there and now a side-effect of their existence is the more obvious reason in our collective consciousness

00:08:58.570 --> 00:09:03.266
to the point that now they suck at their actual job.

00:09:03.266 --> 00:09:05.427
Allow me to explain:

00:09:05.427 --> 00:09:12.660
Y’know how your car has those bright white lights on the front of it
so you can see where you’re going at night?

00:09:12.660 --> 00:09:17.070
Wouldn't it be handy if you had some on the back of your car
so you could see where you’re going at night…

00:09:17.070 --> 00:09:18.674
in reverse?

00:09:19.692 --> 00:09:29.040
Because that’s what reverse lights are actually for - they’re an extra set of headlights on the back of your car so you can see behind you at night!

00:09:29.040 --> 00:09:33.010
The fact that they let other people know you’re in reverse is largely incidental.

00:09:33.417 --> 00:09:38.029
Now, obviously, it is useful to know that a car around you is in reverse.

00:09:38.029 --> 00:09:42.600
I literally just gave you an example where
I knew the car in front of me was in reverse,

00:09:42.600 --> 00:09:49.847
and it was a good thing I knew because I could try to avoid an incident by honking at that person in front to try and let them know they were in reverse,

00:09:49.847 --> 00:09:52.245
but see that never works.

00:09:52.245 --> 00:09:58.624
They’re just confused why I’m honking, and I’m not gonna, like, get out of my car and scare them by walking up to their window,

00:09:58.624 --> 00:10:03.040
so without a PA system to yell at them and say “hey man, you’re in reverse!”

00:10:03.040 --> 00:10:07.032
best I can do is hope they realize it quickly when the light turns green and,

00:10:07.032 --> 00:10:11.480
just in case they don't, pucker up and prepare to get front-ended.

00:10:11.480 --> 00:10:14.792
If only there were a solution to reduce the potential for this confusion.

00:10:14.901 --> 00:10:17.812
[car beeping since it’s in reverse]

00:10:18.773 --> 00:10:24.495
Anyway, since they’re effectively useless if you’re stuck behind someone
 who doesn’t know they’re in reverse,

00:10:24.495 --> 00:10:33.140
parking lots are perhaps where reverse lights as an indicator to others are most useful,
both to other drivers and those just walking around.

00:10:33.140 --> 00:10:35.693
If you’re walking you know to stay away from that car,

00:10:35.693 --> 00:10:39.201
and if you’re looking for a spot you’ll know that person’s leaving.

00:10:39.201 --> 00:10:40.924
But not if it’s a GM car,

00:10:40.924 --> 00:10:46.831
because General Motors cars like to turn on their reverse lights 
and leave ‘em on for a while as you leave the car

00:10:46.831 --> 00:10:50.350
and they’ll even come back on when you unlock the car!

00:10:50.350 --> 00:10:54.074
This behavior annoys lots of folks, including me, I must say,

00:10:54.074 --> 00:10:56.434
but perhaps we’ve got this all wrong.

00:10:56.434 --> 00:11:00.871
Consider this: maybe the driver of that car lives out in the country somewhere

00:11:00.871 --> 00:11:04.631
and there’s no lighting at all where they park their car.

00:11:04.631 --> 00:11:07.878
Having the reverse lights stay on for a bit when they get out

00:11:07.878 --> 00:11:13.941
might be really handy for that driver because those reverse lights will illuminate the area around the backside of the car

00:11:13.941 --> 00:11:19.690
and let that person see in the dark a little better
which is literally the reason they were invented!

00:11:19.690 --> 00:11:21.200
And how do I know that?

00:11:21.200 --> 00:11:23.540
I asked a search engine!

00:11:23.540 --> 00:11:30.839
The concept of reversing lights was invented
in 1920 by an ex-Ford engineer named Childe Wills.

00:11:30.839 --> 00:11:35.420
Story goes he had a bad habit of backing into fire hydrants at night.

00:11:35.420 --> 00:11:38.040
He realized this was because he couldn’t see them at night,

00:11:38.040 --> 00:11:41.700
but if there was a source of illumination on the back of the car he could!

00:11:41.700 --> 00:11:46.548
And he made that light come on automatically
when the vehicle was shifted into reverse.

00:11:46.548 --> 00:11:48.908
This proved to be really forward thinking

00:11:49.595 --> 00:11:52.738
reverse lights wouldn’t become common until the 1960’s,

00:11:52.738 --> 00:11:55.552
and they weren’t mandated until 1968.

00:11:55.552 --> 00:12:03.935
But even then, their purpose was to let the driver see better behind them,
not to tell others around the car that it might back up.

00:12:03.935 --> 00:12:08.230
But I also recognize their potential as an indicator to others.

00:12:08.230 --> 00:12:11.709
So why am I saying that’s not what they’re supposed to be used for?

00:12:11.709 --> 00:12:15.299
Just because it was envisioned as illumination
first and not as a warning

00:12:15.299 --> 00:12:17.829
doesn’t mean it isn’t useful as a warning.

00:12:17.829 --> 00:12:19.850
To which I say, fair point!

00:12:19.850 --> 00:12:23.450
That’s even codified in law, at least in the UN.

00:12:23.450 --> 00:12:30.134
But, see, if they truly are supposed to be a warning to others that the car is in reverse,

00:12:30.134 --> 00:12:32.080
they’re a pretty crappy warning!

00:12:32.080 --> 00:12:38.300
They don’t flash to get your attention,
so if you don’t notice them coming on you could very well miss them.

00:12:38.300 --> 00:12:42.660
Lots of cars put them in really weird places that you’re not likely to see.

00:12:42.660 --> 00:12:45.920
And when I say them, I might mean it.

00:12:45.920 --> 00:12:48.839
Just look at the back of the ol’ Scion xB.

00:12:48.839 --> 00:12:52.833
It turns out that cars are only required to have a single reverse lamp,

00:12:52.833 --> 00:13:00.230
and the designers thought they’d stick it off to the side
to cash in on that asymmetry trend the Nissan Cube started or something like that.

00:13:00.230 --> 00:13:03.377
If you’re approaching this car model from the wrong side,

00:13:03.377 --> 00:13:09.329
you cannot see its reverse light and therefore
you’ll have no warning that it’s in reverse.

00:13:09.329 --> 00:13:16.652
The Scion xB is by no means alone here - 
many European car models, where a rear fog light is mandatory,

00:13:16.652 --> 00:13:21.769
place a single fog light on one side and a single reverse light on the other.

00:13:21.769 --> 00:13:26.722
So if the reverse light is principally there  to warn others as people seem to think it is,

00:13:26.722 --> 00:13:30.086
that implementation probably shouldn’t be legal.

00:13:30.086 --> 00:13:31.521
Yet it is.

00:13:31.521 --> 00:13:35.582
So that reinforces the idea that its main purpose is illumination.

00:13:35.582 --> 00:13:39.041
But none of us remember that, so it’s not deemed important anymore,

00:13:39.041 --> 00:13:44.831
and the great tragedy of this collective confusion of what reverse lights are actually for has led to many new cars

00:13:44.831 --> 00:13:47.250
(including mine and my old Chevy Volt!)

00:13:47.250 --> 00:13:52.472
having absolutely pathetic reverse lights that hardly help to see at all,

00:13:52.472 --> 00:13:57.518
but they satisfy the regulatory requirements of 1) being there

00:13:57.518 --> 00:13:59.505
and so everyone thinks it’s just fine.

00:13:59.505 --> 00:14:01.318
But I don’t.

00:14:01.318 --> 00:14:04.836
Remember remember that it is November.

00:14:04.836 --> 00:14:08.032
I’m not normally like this, folks.
[off-screen: yeah, he’s usually worse]

00:14:08.032 --> 00:14:10.013
I heard that!

00:14:10.013 --> 00:14:12.182
Where is my limo?

00:14:14.397 --> 00:14:16.151
That reference was a stretch.

00:14:16.864 --> 00:14:19.028
Eh, more like a super stretch.

00:14:19.028 --> 00:14:21.987
Anyway, getting back to reverse alarms at last,

00:14:21.987 --> 00:14:29.023
reverse lights present a convenient circuit to tap into to make a reverse alarm 
like this alarm when you’re in reverse.

00:14:29.023 --> 00:14:34.107
So, attaching one to a car or truck or van is as easy as bolting it to a bumper,

00:14:34.107 --> 00:14:37.548
splicing a wire into the positive lead of the reverse lights,

00:14:37.548 --> 00:14:39.792
and running it to this point.

00:14:39.792 --> 00:14:40.828
Then you’re done.

00:14:40.828 --> 00:14:43.331
You got an automatic back-up beeper.

00:14:43.331 --> 00:14:47.579
But there are two major problems with thiskind of reverse alarm.

00:14:47.579 --> 00:14:52.156
First, they’re obnoxious and loud enough to cause hearing damage.

00:14:52.156 --> 00:14:57.585
And, fun and definitely not ironic fact, we can thank OSHA for that one!

00:14:57.585 --> 00:15:03.907
The way the regulation is written, reverse alarms must be 5 decibels louder than ambient noise levels.

00:15:03.907 --> 00:15:06.423
Makes sense, you need to be able to hear them.

00:15:06.423 --> 00:15:11.567
But since construction sites tend to be quite
loud what with all that heavy equipment rolling around,

00:15:11.567 --> 00:15:18.754
the easiest way to make sure you can attain that standard at all times in all situations is to make the alarm…

00:15:18.754 --> 00:15:20.357
stupidly loud!

00:15:20.357 --> 00:15:25.082
This one produces 97 decibels of sound pressure at…

00:15:25.082 --> 00:15:26.611
an unknown distance.

00:15:26.611 --> 00:15:30.719
Tried to find out where it’s measured from
but this datasheet didn’t say so I gave up.

00:15:30.719 --> 00:15:34.565
But way back in the start I was saying these are getting better.

00:15:34.565 --> 00:15:37.513
With those stupidly cheap microcontrollers,

00:15:37.513 --> 00:15:43.815
someone could conceivably design one of these which takes an ambient noise reading from an onboard microphone

00:15:43.815 --> 00:15:51.400
and uses that to determine how loud it needs to beep in order to meet the OSHA standard of 5 dB above ambient.

00:15:51.400 --> 00:15:53.792
And wouldn’t ya know it, the folks at Ecco

00:15:53.792 --> 00:15:58.756
(the manufacturer of this more legit one that I only bought one of and am not willing to tear into)

00:15:58.756 --> 00:16:00.599
have done just that.

00:16:00.599 --> 00:16:04.312
Great work folks, you’re making the world a slightly better place.

00:16:04.312 --> 00:16:07.958
But speaking of echoes, that’s the other big problem.

00:16:07.958 --> 00:16:16.680
The flat tone that these things produce, while definitely loud enough to hear,
is difficult for our brains to locate in three-dimensional space.

00:16:16.680 --> 00:16:24.419
If you’re near a backing up vehicle with one of these beepers you’ll definitely know something is backing up by the impossible to ignore beeping,

00:16:24.419 --> 00:16:31.141
but the way that sound reflects off the surfaces around you,
combined with its literally monotonous nature,

00:16:31.141 --> 00:16:34.478
confounds our sound localization abilities.

00:16:34.478 --> 00:16:43.196
But those clever scientists realized that white noise (or any sound similar to it)
is a lot easier for our brains to locate in physical space

00:16:43.196 --> 00:16:46.204
due to all those harmonics and wavelengths and junk,

00:16:46.204 --> 00:16:50.270
so what if we made beepers that did this?

00:16:50.270 --> 00:16:54.160
[pulses of imitating crowd noise]

00:16:54.160 --> 00:16:58.006
Oh look, the magic of buying two of them struck again!

00:16:58.006 --> 00:17:00.090
Let’s see what this one sounds like.

00:17:00.090 --> 00:17:03.110
[a pulsing white noise quite similar to what Alec just did]

00:17:14.796 --> 00:17:18.227
Anyway, these new versions are starting to spread.

00:17:18.227 --> 00:17:20.543
They’re by no means brand spanking new,

00:17:20.543 --> 00:17:24.158
there’s a nearly 10 year old Tom Scott video about this very thing.

00:17:24.158 --> 00:17:26.864
That video’s also much shorter than this one.

00:17:26.864 --> 00:17:28.674
Do I have a problem being ?

00:17:30.176 --> 00:17:31.365
Let’s put a pin in that.

00:17:31.365 --> 00:17:40.389
White noise reverse alarms may have been mandatory in the UK for a decade but they haven’t made it over here (at least my neck of the woods) until quite recently.

00:17:40.389 --> 00:17:47.031
And so far I think I’ve only ever heard only two -
both on Amazon delivery vans and both within the last year.

00:17:47.031 --> 00:17:49.875
Not one of those cool new electric delivery vans, though,

00:17:49.875 --> 00:17:52.668
just like a Ram Promaster or something.

00:17:52.668 --> 00:17:56.590
But speaking of cool new electric things,
watch what my car does!

00:17:56.590 --> 00:18:00.540
[slow beeping with a melodic white noise]

00:18:00.540 --> 00:18:04.440
It’s got a reverse alarm!
But it’s a lot more subtle.

00:18:04.440 --> 00:18:08.946
NHTSA may not be the reason these loud honkers end up on commercial vehicles,

00:18:08.946 --> 00:18:13.453
and they may also be really incredibly terribly behind on lighting regulations,

00:18:13.453 --> 00:18:20.566
but they did manage to come together and create a rule that says hybrid and electric cars need to make some kind of noise

00:18:20.566 --> 00:18:23.058
to let people know they might move.

00:18:23.287 --> 00:18:27.972
Hyundai has gone with what I call “digital angels” for the forward motion,

00:18:27.972 --> 00:18:33.779
and when in reverse it makes the same sound but they
also layered in a good old fashioned back up beeper -

00:18:33.779 --> 00:18:37.693
tweaked to be a little more calming, though.

00:18:37.693 --> 00:18:42.719
[a calming, slow and repetitive tone]

00:18:42.719 --> 00:18:45.980
And ya know what? I love this idea.

00:18:45.980 --> 00:18:51.888
The regulation was conceived because these newfangled cars
can move without making any engine noise,

00:18:51.888 --> 00:18:54.016
and that is a potential problem.
[engine starts]

00:18:54.016 --> 00:19:02.100
Previously, some sort of mechanical clacking and combustion poofing
would provide an audible cue that a vehicle may be in motion near you,

00:19:02.100 --> 00:19:09.632
and particularly for the blind this was a way to stay safe
out in the very dangerous landscapes where cars and people mix.

00:19:09.632 --> 00:19:16.290
Hybrid and electric cars removed this audible cue,
so that means of detection was lost.

00:19:16.290 --> 00:19:20.801
Adding it back in some way is very helpful and potentially life-saving.

00:19:20.801 --> 00:19:23.160
And not just for the blind!

00:19:23.160 --> 00:19:27.040
Pretty much all accessibility features end up benefiting everyone.

00:19:27.040 --> 00:19:30.290
Just the other day I was in a parking lot and heard this very sound.

00:19:30.290 --> 00:19:34.150
[the Hyundai reverse beeper]
At first I got excited thinking I’d spot a car buddy but

00:19:34.150 --> 00:19:36.330
it was just like a Santa Fe hybrid.

00:19:36.330 --> 00:19:42.132
But, I immediately located the source of that sound
(thanks to the background digital angels no doubt)

00:19:42.132 --> 00:19:45.784
and became aware that a car near me was about to reverse.

00:19:45.784 --> 00:19:48.878
That awareness was near-instant and helpful,

00:19:48.878 --> 00:19:57.348
and I think Hyundai did a really good job by emulating a reverse alarm to give a recognizable and specific warning of backing up.

00:19:57.348 --> 00:20:00.498
But Hyundai is Hyundai and others are others.

00:20:00.498 --> 00:20:03.934
Automakers are having a field day with this new regulation,

00:20:03.934 --> 00:20:10.169
and they like to design their own soundscape
as another tool to bolster their brand identities.

00:20:10.169 --> 00:20:14.429
Unfortunately, that means there’s no consistency here at all.

00:20:14.429 --> 00:20:17.146
To be honest, I’m mostly OK with that.

00:20:17.146 --> 00:20:19.456
I like variety as much as the next guy.

00:20:19.456 --> 00:20:25.970
For another example of an automaker’s soundscape,
here’s what a Toyota Sienna hybrid sounds like in drive.

00:20:25.970 --> 00:20:28.970
[a sort of whooshing, hissing sound]

00:20:28.970 --> 00:20:32.775
[engine starts]

00:20:32.775 --> 00:20:34.623
Not a bad sound.

00:20:34.623 --> 00:20:37.184
Let’s try reverse.

00:20:37.184 --> 00:20:42.378
It’s a similar sound, but coming from a sounding module in the rear of the car.

00:20:42.378 --> 00:20:44.744
To be clear, that’s pretty good!

00:20:44.744 --> 00:20:49.403
If you’re standing near the rear of this car, that noise will definitely get your attention.

00:20:49.403 --> 00:20:54.563
But whether it communicates that the car might
be coming toward you since it’s in reverse…

00:20:54.563 --> 00:20:57.050
ehh that’s definitely less clear.

00:20:57.050 --> 00:21:02.979
This particular new feature in the automotive landscape
is something that needs careful consideration.

00:21:02.979 --> 00:21:06.887
To many, it’s divisive - cars are loud things.

00:21:06.887 --> 00:21:10.849
Cities would be a lot quieter without them
(or at least fewer of them)

00:21:10.849 --> 00:21:15.264
and adding a noisemaker to the car might make that worse.

00:21:15.264 --> 00:21:20.990
But, the standards for this new requirement
do specify a loudness and it’s pretty quiet.

00:21:20.990 --> 00:21:27.097
Above about 15 miles an hour,
tire noise is considerably louder than these alerting devices.

00:21:27.097 --> 00:21:34.289
And in my honest opinion, I don’t think any of the pedestrian sounds I’ve heard from any new car are loud enough to be bothersome,

00:21:34.289 --> 00:21:38.592
even if someone’s coming home late at night when others are sleeping.

00:21:38.592 --> 00:21:42.228
Some are definitely a little more intrusive than others.

00:21:42.228 --> 00:21:46.230
Take a wild guess at which one I find the most obnoxious.

00:21:46.739 --> 00:21:49.220
You’re right, it’s that one.

00:21:49.220 --> 00:21:53.770
But so long as we’re careful and considerate
about the ways we implement this idea,

00:21:53.770 --> 00:21:55.740
I think it’s all good.

00:21:55.740 --> 00:22:00.340
If I’m alright with the variety in this new soundscape for a car’s forward motion,

00:22:00.340 --> 00:22:04.830
I suppose I needn’t care that much about
the sound it makes in reverse.

00:22:04.830 --> 00:22:08.730
But I do think there might be value in standardizing that.

00:22:08.730 --> 00:22:12.098
Weirdly, if I were put in charge of that task,

00:22:12.098 --> 00:22:15.779
I would pretty much pick exactly what Hyundai did.

00:22:15.779 --> 00:22:18.178
Some white noise for making the sound easy to locate,

00:22:18.178 --> 00:22:25.849
and a beeping sound which we’re all primed at this point to interpret as
“attention please, this car is backing up.”

00:22:26.129 --> 00:22:30.805
But, lest you think I’m being overly flattering to Hyundai with that assessment,

00:22:30.805 --> 00:22:34.681
the reverse lights on this car are just pathetic!

00:22:34.681 --> 00:22:39.460
They don’t illuminate the rear at all, the brake lights are orders of magnitude brighter.

00:22:39.460 --> 00:22:42.260
Heck, the tail lights are about as bright.

00:22:42.260 --> 00:22:44.110
It’s ridiculous.

00:22:44.110 --> 00:22:46.813
You may have fixed the brake light logic Hyundai,

00:22:46.813 --> 00:22:48.804
and good job there!

00:22:48.804 --> 00:22:54.953
But next time you design a car, 
remember the other thing reverse lights are supposed to do, please.

00:22:54.953 --> 00:22:59.542
It’ll make the back-up camera work a lot better at night, if nothing else.

00:22:59.542 --> 00:23:01.252
OK, is that the end?

00:23:01.252 --> 00:23:02.840
I think that’s the end!

00:23:02.840 --> 00:23:05.650
Thanks for watching this astonishing mess of a video.

00:23:05.650 --> 00:23:08.420
I hope it was as enjoyable as it was chaotic.

00:23:08.420 --> 00:23:10.776
Remember folks, drive safely.

00:23:10.776 --> 00:23:12.829
That means paying attention.

00:23:12.829 --> 00:23:14.439
And using your turn signals.

00:23:14.439 --> 00:23:19.825
That one’s important! I will judge you very harshly
if you can’t be bothered to flick the thingy.

00:23:19.825 --> 00:23:21.435
As should we all.

00:23:21.435 --> 00:23:25.134
The left lane is for passing, don't be hanging
out there now.

00:23:25.134 --> 00:23:26.516
And get off your phone!

00:23:26.516 --> 00:23:31.700
For the love of god you’re operating a two-ton death machine, 
act like it’s the responsibility it is!

00:23:31.700 --> 00:23:32.334
And another thing -

00:23:33.123 --> 00:23:35.880
♫ obnoxiously smooth jazz ♫

00:23:35.880 --> 00:23:39.472
For another example of an automaker’s soundscape,
here’s what a tayot…

00:23:39.472 --> 00:23:41.970
pfff ugh!

00:23:41.970 --> 00:23:42.566
This here-

00:23:42.566 --> 00:23:43.423
This thing-

00:23:43.423 --> 00:23:44.454
This here-

00:23:44.454 --> 00:23:45.624
This thing is an-

00:23:45.624 --> 00:23:47.973
This is an automotive test light.

00:23:47.973 --> 00:23:51.442
If I hook each end up to a power supply,

00:23:53.479 --> 00:23:54.739
this…

00:23:57.540 --> 00:23:58.290
hmm.

00:23:58.290 --> 00:24:02.596
…power supply, you’ll see that the lamp lights up.

00:24:03.844 --> 00:24:05.395
[deflates]

00:24:05.395 --> 00:24:09.021
Best thing I can hope is realize AHHHHH

00:24:09.021 --> 00:24:12.795
Mmmm more like a super stretch, anyway getting back to reverse li -

00:24:12.795 --> 00:24:14.155
I did it again!

00:24:14.155 --> 00:24:17.642
Because the intent is for this thing to just get bolted onto the back of a truck,

00:24:17.642 --> 00:24:19.065
and it’s gonna see all the sor…

00:24:19.065 --> 00:24:19.666
*sigh*

00:24:23.817 --> 00:24:26.555
Put effort into the end-screen captions?

00:24:26.555 --> 00:24:29.139
Pfft, not this time, bucko.

00:24:29.139 --> 00:24:36.960
It's November.

