Korean researchers develop light, laser system to warn 'smartphone zombies' of traffic
- 5 years ago
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South Korea has the world's highest smartphone penetration rate and as a result faces the side effects of too much smartphone use.
To protect pedestrians glued to their screens from traffic accidents, Korean researchers have developed a warning system using lights and laser beams.
Park Se-young has more.
When smartphone users approach a crosswalk without traffic signals, …they're warned by colorful LED lights on the pavement and laser beams projected from power poles to inform them they are about to step into traffic.
An app also sends an alert to their devices.
This system was developed by the state-run Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology …to warn pedestrians glued to their smartphones to look up and drivers to slow down, …in the hope of preventing traffic accidents.
When a radar sensor and thermal imaging camera detect a vehicle and a pedestrian, they trigger the flashing lights on the road …and the smartphone app sends a warning message to the pedestrian's mobile device.
The researchers found that the flashing lights were effective in alerting drivers 83-point-four percent of the time …in their test involving about a thousand vehicles.
"The before-and-after effect is an average reduction of traffic speeds of about six kilometers per hour, …which is about 20 percent. We found that drivers slowed down when they were aware of pedestrians."
South Korea has the world's highest smartphone ownership rate of 94 percent.
And there have been worries of the so-called "smartphone zombies" or "smombies" driving up Korea's already-high road death rate.
In the last five years, more than half of pedestrian deaths occurred while crossing the street.
The warning system, which costs about 13-thousand dollars to install per crosswalk, …is currently installed only in Ilsan, a suburb northwest of Seoul.
The researchers expect the government to expand its use across the country in the near future.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.
South Korea has the world's highest smartphone penetration rate and as a result faces the side effects of too much smartphone use.
To protect pedestrians glued to their screens from traffic accidents, Korean researchers have developed a warning system using lights and laser beams.
Park Se-young has more.
When smartphone users approach a crosswalk without traffic signals, …they're warned by colorful LED lights on the pavement and laser beams projected from power poles to inform them they are about to step into traffic.
An app also sends an alert to their devices.
This system was developed by the state-run Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology …to warn pedestrians glued to their smartphones to look up and drivers to slow down, …in the hope of preventing traffic accidents.
When a radar sensor and thermal imaging camera detect a vehicle and a pedestrian, they trigger the flashing lights on the road …and the smartphone app sends a warning message to the pedestrian's mobile device.
The researchers found that the flashing lights were effective in alerting drivers 83-point-four percent of the time …in their test involving about a thousand vehicles.
"The before-and-after effect is an average reduction of traffic speeds of about six kilometers per hour, …which is about 20 percent. We found that drivers slowed down when they were aware of pedestrians."
South Korea has the world's highest smartphone ownership rate of 94 percent.
And there have been worries of the so-called "smartphone zombies" or "smombies" driving up Korea's already-high road death rate.
In the last five years, more than half of pedestrian deaths occurred while crossing the street.
The warning system, which costs about 13-thousand dollars to install per crosswalk, …is currently installed only in Ilsan, a suburb northwest of Seoul.
The researchers expect the government to expand its use across the country in the near future.
Park Se-young, Arirang News.