Sustainable Problem: Civic Engagement, Safety
Sensor-packed pedestrian crossing is fit for a modern city
Technology:
- A prototype LED crossing uses sensors to respond to the movement of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians
- “We’ve been designing a pedestrian crossing for the 21st century,” says Usman Haque, Umbrellium‘s founding partner. “Crossings that you know were designed in the 1950s, when there was a different type of city and interaction.”
- This smart crossing doesn’t just look more modern than the 60 years old versions; it uses machine learning to make the crossings safer. Figures from the Transport Research Laboratory show that 7,000 incidents happen on them each year in the UK.
- The actual crossing doesn’t exist until it’s safe for you to cross – then LED patterns appear to direct people and stop cars.
- The machines could also learn to project the crossing at a slightly different orientation if, for instance, everyone makes a beeline for a certain shop after a school days.
Stakeholders:
- Umbrellium
- Insurance Firm – Direct Line
- Cities
Deployment/Implementation:
- The project is still some way from completion.
- To speed up the process, the code behind it is being made open source.
- Deploy when figure logistics of implementation are figured out
- Have multiple detection systems, to be fail safe such as version that has a pressure sensor which detects where footsteps are.
Sources: http://www.wired.co.uk/article/digital-pedestrian-crossing-technology-machine-learning-safety
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The article also discusses how this sensor-based crossing is envisioned to be integrated into the road. A responsive, sensor-based surface made of steel would be integrated under the regular road surface. On the top of these two layers of the road would be the LED lights, covered in a high-impact plastic to prevent damage from vehicles and weather.
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