Overview
Pedestrians are among the users of the road more vulnerable to fatal accidents. If pedestrians are vulnerable road users, elderly are even more exposed as their perceptual, cognitive and physical capabilities are lower to those of young people, and so more willing to be involved in a traffic accident.
Improving the safety of pedestrian paths can be considered by infrastructure changes. However, they remain very expensive and time-consuming. A less expensive and faster way would be to provide pedestrians with an effective and appropriate technical assistance.
In this context, the A_PIED project had two primary objectives:
- analyse the needs of older pedestrian multisensory interfaces help to the street crossing and the urban orientation, and the acceptability of these interfaces;
- test an innovative and original technological solution, based on a range vibrotactile interface wrist, to help pedestrians to issue safe street crossing decisions and better orientation in cities, especially in areas of trade and interconnection.
Funding
Results
The project demonstrated the utility of multisensory technology assistance to help
pedestrians to issue safe decisions of urban street crossing; the idea being
secure travel on foot as the common link in all modes of urban transport. The project also produced useful recommendations to secure pedestrian traffic in the long run.