Don't Walk - Dance Instead!
by Startacus Admin
Urban safety just got a little less woefully dull and a lot more entertaining for the residents of the Portuguese Capital Lisbon. Instead of being faced with a functional, albeit tedious, static ‘don’t walk’ man, pedestrians at this crossing the centre of the city were treated to a quirky surprise. 
Their little inert man had been replaced by a highly amusing dancing one.
This interactive installation was designed to encourage locals to follow the rules, and wait until the traffic lights had made it safe to cross the street, before doing so.
Nifty trick you might think, but the whole thing reaches a new level of entertainment value when you consider that the little dancing man is no mere algorithm, but displaying the actual movements of other members of the public, who are dancing in front of motion sensor around the corner!
Take a little look at the video - which incidentally has been viewed over 6,000,000 times!
The Dancing Traffic Light!
The user controlled Traffic light that's brightening the day of pedestriansAs much fun as the whole concept might be, it serves a rather more serious purpose. Research (and common sense) will tell you that the most dangerous area for pedestrians in any city is at traffic crossings, simply because people fail to pay attention or misjudge a vehicle’s distance or speed. The dancing traffic light provides an incentive for people to wait until it is safe to cross, a theory which apparently holds up, since organisers observed an 80% increase in the number of people waiting for the little man to turn green.
One might lament the fact that people now need to be etertained by a set of flashing LEDs to stop from walking in front of moving traffic…but we aren't quite sceptical enough for that.
The installation was put together by Smart (as in Smart cars) as part of a genius marketing campaign ahead of the launch of new models of their compact city car.
We love it when people create projects which put playfulness novelty, fun and intrigue back into the urban spaces around us! If you do as well, you might want to check out some of these recent posts:
Interview with Playable City Award Winner - Shadowing
Hello Lamppost - Winner of Playable City Award 2013
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
With more companies turning to influencers to connect with their audience, we ask what makes influencer marketing have such a high impact effect?
Manchester fintech GoodBox, who helps charities embrace the rise of fintech through digital and contactless payments, have raised over £2m for UK charities.
The startup that has created a 3D product configuration and visualisation platform
.jpeg)
How exactly do you go about finding the best office for your startup? Here's some top advice on finding the right place for you.
We take a look at yulife, a new InsurTech startup shaking up the life insurance sector, with customers earning rewards for healthy activities.
A study recently carried out by Volteface, has been revealed that social media platforms are frequently being used in order to advertise illicit drugs.
When it comes to setting up a startup there are certain things to consider before you set up your business in the city.
The edtech startup that's helping students learn by putting the core syllabus to music
The startup that's creating a learning experience to inspire the next generation of STEM learners, starting with Maths.
Not having the right team is a common reason why startups fail. Here are some of the key personalities and soft skills you'll need in your team.
Published on: 8th October 2014
.png)
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.
- Manchester fintech GoodBox hits £2m donated to UK charities 21st Oct 2019 Manchester fintech GoodBox, who helps charities embrace the rise of fintech through digital and contactless payments, have raised over £2m for UK charities.
- Event at Startup Week Dublin to explore startup collaboration between NI and Ireland 11th Oct 2019 With the impact of BREXIT still very much an uncertainty, our evening event at Startup Week Dublin will explore startup collaboration and opportunities between NI and Ireland.
- Startups shaping future of the smart built environment wanted for RElab programme 8th Oct 2019 Tech startups focused on smart buildings and cities, smart grid, construction tech, predictive maintenance, and other tech solutions - take note!
- Tech startups in telecom infrastructure sought for BT run competition 3rd Oct 2019 BT and the Telecom Infra Project (TIP) have launched the third annual competition for startups in telecom infrastructure
