Need more data to know, but considering it as a technical problem instead of a social one... maybe he didn't realize it was annoying because he couldn't pick up all the little facial expression and body language messages they were giving to indicate it.
This interpretation is not supported by him pointing a laser near other people's eyes. That was just being an ass. But sticking with the technical side here... a larger field of view might help the driver get those messages. Combining that with some face tracking and magnifying in the driving software would be cool. Or give everyone around a little remote and buttons on the bot for communicating negative feedback anonymously; give an indicator in the diver software, or reduce the mobility of the robot for a minute, or administer electrical shocks to the driver, those sorts of things.
This interpretation is not supported by him pointing a laser near other people's eyes. That was just being an ass. But sticking with the technical side here... a larger field of view might help the driver get those messages. Combining that with some face tracking and magnifying in the driving software would be cool. Or give everyone around a little remote and buttons on the bot for communicating negative feedback anonymously; give an indicator in the diver software, or reduce the mobility of the robot for a minute, or administer electrical shocks to the driver, those sorts of things.