Systems, apparatus and methods implemented in algorithms, software, firmware, logic, or circuitry may be configured to process data and sensory input to determine whether an object external to an autonomous vehicle (e.g., another vehicle, a pedestrian, a bicyclist, etc.) may be a potential collision threat to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle may include a light emitter positioned external to a surface of the autonomous vehicle and being configured to implement a visual alert by emitting light from the light emitter. Data representing a light pattern may be received by the light emitter and the light emitted by the display may be indicative of the light pattern. The light pattern may be selected to gain the attention of the object (e.g., a pedestrian, a driver of a car, a bicyclists, etc.) in order to avoid the potential collision or to alert the object to the presence of the autonomous vehicle.