Apple is researching how to make a future "Apple Car" correctly recognize and respond to a person directing traffic at the site of an accident, or a parking attendant telling you which way to go.

This can include temporary lane closures, diversions, and situations where a police officer is directing traffic with hand signals. The latter is now something Waymo's autonomous cars can deal with.

Sensor data may be combined and analyzed to identify a traffic diversion condition, including identifying a traffic director directing traffic using gestures or signs,” Apple explains in the patent.

The signals we were taught for whistling at traffic, was that one long blast of the whistle means STOP! The hand signal that accompanies this blast is the palm out pointed toward the vehicle you ...

“We called the police, traffic and signals, everybody,” he said as he raised a hand, ordering a line of cars heading south on University Avenue to stop for another pedestrian.

The technology it’s equipped with is capable of identifying hand signals; it knows when the traffic cop tells it to stop, when it’s being told to move, and it acts accordingly.

The Fayetteville Police Department reported that all signals were operating normally in a news release just after 1 p.m. Sunday. Police officers had been directing traffic at several intersections ...