Can you trap a self-driving car with a magic circle? Maybe so…

Autonomous Trap 001 from stml on Vimeo.

(There’s no sound – there’s nothing wrong with your device)

This is the work of artist (and former NEXT speaker) James Bridle, who is exploring the potential problems of the coming autonomous car world. Here’s an explanation:

In a picture posted to Flickr by artist James Bridle—known for coining the term, “New Aesthetic”—a car is sitting in the middle of a parking lot has been surrounded by a magic salt circle. In the language of road markings, the dotted white lines on the outside say, “Come On In,” but the solid white line on the inside says, “Do Not Cross.” To the car’s built-in cameras, these are indomitable laws of magic: Petrificus Totalus for autonomous automobiles.

It’s a fascinating work-in-progress. I’m really looking forward to where he’s going with this project.

[via Kottke]