Camera-Mounted Traffic Lights May Revolutionize Crosswalks
Drivers can detest crosswalks because an intersection that includes one will add an extra stop to their commute from time to time, should someone prepare to cross. On the other hand, pedestrians may feel frustration of repeatedly pressing a crosswalk button with no luck in getting the signal to walk.
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A new technology is likely going to change this process. Austrian company Günther Pincher has created a tech-savvy system that dares to read the intention of pedestrians.
These camera-mounted traffic lights can sense when someone wants to cross the street by scanning a 26×15-foot area. If it sees one person or a group of people seeking to cross, it will transmit a message to the traffic light within seconds to change the lights.
Scientists say that the system is three to four seconds quicker than reaching for the crosswalk button, but this is not the only benefit. For large groups of people, it can extend the signal; while changing it to red for those walkers who change their minds.
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Günther Pincher plans to use these lights in Vienna and will swap out the button system with the traffic lights by the end of 2020.
Pedestrians in the U.S. are a long way off from ditching the buttons and adopting the mind-reading traffic lights at all crosswalks. However, the technology exists, which means it is only a matter of time when traffic lights start reading the crowd’s every move and modifying its color based on the route pedestrians take.
Source: Engadget.com
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