ActiWalk
Waiting to cross the road has never been so much fun!
German students install touch screen Pong arcade game in traffic lights
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- Students came up idea of ping pong game at crossings two years ago
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- They made a prototype after five million people shared their idea online
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- ActiWalk can be played wirelessly with a person on other side of the road
- German group Urban Invention are now looking for crowd funding
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Waiting for the light to turn green at a pedestrian crossing can feel like a lifetime.
Now two innovative students from Germany hope they’ve come up with a way to make it a more enjoyable – and even sociable – experience.
Amelie Kunzler and Sandro Engel have designed StreetPong, a multi-player game of touch screen ping pong that’s played wirelessly with a person on the other side of the crossing.
The ActiWait prototype is played on a touch screen and is based on a classic ping pong arcade game
After the duo uploaded a video of the the game and concept, five million watched and shared it on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.
The overwhelming interest prodded them to bring StreetPong to life.
Amelie and Sandro founded a company called Urban Invention to make the product and, since October, have installed a small number of prototypes – renamed ActiWait – around Germany.
Amelie, who is currently studying at the HAWK Hildesheim, said: ‘We want to make it possible for everyone to be able to play with other people while waiting for the light to turn green.’
ActiWait has a resilient touch screen and is built into pedestrian crossings.
The students are asking for crowdfunding via Indiegogo in hopes of securing money to develop the hardware and move it on from a prototype into a large scale production.
They also want to push ahead with more applications and have it officially checked for safety.
The developers also want to use the screens for other applications, including news feeds, navigation and traffic education for children, or even speed dating.
So far €349 (£275) of the pair’s €35,000 (£27,600) goal has been raised and Urban Invention are attempting to attract backers by pledging to install ActiWaits were they receive the most financial support.
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/actiwait-a-smart-traffic-light-button#/
I’m so glad that the inrtenet allows free info like this!