A Solution For Distracted Walking Problem In Singapore

Background

Modern Technology has advanced so much that it has become pretty muc part of our daily lives, making us somewhat like a slave to it. Singaporeans nowadays approximately spends 12 hours and 42 minutes on some sort of digital device and it has brought about positive and negatives. Nowadays, almost everyone carries a smartphone with them and use them frequently on the go be it to check their emails, check their social media networks or to text their friends, etc. They are frequently glued to their handphone screens that they have lost all awareness of their surroundings. This phenomenon is known as distracted walking and it has caused unintentionally pedestrian light injuries and in worse cases deaths. In Singapore, the number of accidents involving distracted walking has increased by 5. 4 percent from 2015 to 2016 according to statistics taken by Strait Times and it makes up more than one-third of all fatal road accidents.

Problem

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has installed floor lights as a safety precaution to increase awareness of pedestrians. However, it is currently only installed at two tourist spots. Currently, there is a lack of precaution nowadays especially as youth nowadays are more prone to distracted walking due to there being a constant need to be updated to the latest happenings. They will tend to be more oblivious to their surroundings and continue to walk with no concern of their safety. By being oblivious to their surroundings while walking, they are being a walking hazard as everyone needs to take note of them if not they will cause injury to they themselves and others. Thus, there is a need to increase their sense of awareness as well as safety precautions in order to guide the people on their pathway and not cause harm to themselves as well as others.

Solution

The proposed product, See4You, aims to increase the user spatial awareness without compromising their need to use their mobile phone on the go. It uses infrared sensors that is integrated with a bluetooth module to detect any obstacles or motion in front of the user. Once it detects any incoming obstacles, it will alert the user’s phone via bluetooth.

Once the phone receives the signal from See4You, the phone will start vibrating thus informing the user to be aware of surrounding dangers. See4You is all powered by a solar panel. It just requires sunlight to activate the proposed product. The solar panel on the product, See4You, will charge up the electronic device by solar energy just by walking during daytime.

Benefits

The See4You’s clip can be clipped on any phone, making it very user friendly. It is also very eco friendly as the proposed product uses solar energy to power up the product. It is the first of its kind and it will help people to be aware of their surroundings. It is also small and lightweight, making it no different from a small extension of the phone itself. It also gives the user a better sense of security without compromising his/her need to use their smartphone on the go.

Implementations

In producing this product, we will require the following: Collaborating with a Research and Development team specializing in the Infrared sensor field to work on integrating it to the clips. Test the data logic circuit and bluetooth signal range and strength.

Conclusion

The number of distracted walking cases in Singapore is on the rise, making everyone vulnerable to people with distracted walking. See4You can help reduce the number of distracted walking cases and prevent fatalities resulting from it.

We all know everyone loves to stay connected to their friends so by having this product See4You, they can stay connected to their friend while being aware of their surroundings.