Researchers study 'personality traits' of cars

TALLAHASSEE, Florida: The butterfly decals on the front bumper, flowers in the dashboard vase and lime-green paint job only confirmed Dennis Slice's perception of a Volkswagen Beetle parked in a lot at Florida State University (FSU).

Slice, a shape analysis researcher, said the narrow body, wide-eyed circular headlights, tall windshield and curve of the bug's hood match the facial features of a smiling woman or child.

"This is the classic cute car - not dominant, not aggressive," said Slice, an associate professor of scientific computing at FSU.

Slice and fellow researchers at Austria's Vienna University, where he's a guest professor, are exploring the widely held belief that cars project personalities because they look like human faces when viewed head-on.

Cartoonists, for instance, long have drawn anthropomorphic cars with toothy grills that grinned or frowned and headlights that winked or blinked. The creators of the animated film Cars, though, used windshields for eyes, worrying that headlight peepers would have given their characters a snakelike appearance.

Three cars parked near the Beetle offer examples of the opposite end of the personality spectrum. A Mitsubishi Eclipse, Ford Mustang and Dodge Charger each practically ooze testosterone.

Their low stances, long hoods, gaping grills and narrow headlights give each of these sporty models a look that's consistent with the facial features of an adult male, Slice said. Each projects a mature, dominant, aggressive and powerful personality.

Slice and his Vienna colleagues hope their work one day may help designers determine what parts of a car, such as the headlights, grill or windshield, they can change to project traits that make cars more appealing to different kinds of customers.

Slice said future research may look at whether cars' personalities relate to drivers' habits and interactions.

"Possibilities are if you see an aggressive car in your rear view mirror you may be more likely to pull over and yield to it," he said. "By the same token, if you see a submissive or more immature car trying to get into traffic you may be more likely to yield to it and help the innocent little car get into traffic."

Another question is whether drivers have the same personalities as their cars.

Slice got a bit of anecdotal evidence in the parking lot from Gwen Oliver, a custodial supervisor at Florida State, after telling her that her black Eclipse is dominant, aggressive, powerful and "ready to take care of business".

"I am. Everything you said, I'm like that," Oliver told him after she briskly walked over to see why he was interested in her car. "I'm aggressive, I'm straightforward and I'm outgoing and I believe in getting the job done."

AP

(China Daily 07/07/2009 page10)