This interactive dancing traffic light makes waiting more fun while encouraging pedestrians to wait their turn to cross.
Fun to watch while you wait to cross
The unique installation aimed to encourage pedestrians to wait until it’s safe to cross the road by making the traffic lights “dance” using motion capture technology.
Smart ideas can turn the city into a better place
Car brand Smart teamed up with advertising agency BBDO Germany to create a special pedestrian crossing light in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. It features a red stick figure that dances to attract the attention of pedestrians who might otherwise walk out into the road.
“We believe that smart ideas can turn the city into a better place,” say Mercedes, the German car manufacturer behind the Smart brand.
“Like a dancing traffic light that makes people watch and wait rather than walk through the red light. For more safety.”
The dancing movements of the red man were created by members of the public who were filmed in a booth set up in a nearby square. The temporary black structure contained a small dance floor and cameras to capture the movements of each person.
These were translated into the movements of the red man in the traffic lights in real time, as well as shown on a screen in front of the participant. Video screens on either side of the booth showed live reactions to the dancing from the pedestrian crossing.
Source: DeZeen.com
Don’t walk…Dance! The dancing movements of the red man were created by members of the public who were filmed in a booth set up in a nearby square. Source: DeZeen.com
The installation was so entertaining that it reduced red-light crossing by 81%!
“Nobody likes to wait,” say Smart. “That makes traffic lights the most dangerous spots for pedestrians in the city. But what if we made waiting more entertaining?”
Well, it worked! The installation was so entertaining that it reduced red-light crossing by 81%!
The project was part of a wider marketing campaign by Smart to launch two new versions of its compact city car in 2014
Dance like everyone is watching The temporary black structure contained a small dance floor and cameras to capture the movements of each person, which were translated into the movements of the red man in the traffic lights in real time, as well as shown on a screen in front of the participant. Source: DeZeen.com
Pedestrians stand in amused amazement at the dancing traffic light ?? This was exactly what the designers had hoped for. Stand and wait your turn. Source: Smart.com
Road safety toolkit
Pedestrians are vulnerable road users. In many countries, collisions with pedestrians are a leading cause of death and injury. In some countries, over half of all road deaths are caused by collisions between vehicles and pedestrians. Here’s what you should know.