Traffic Lights in Germany Let You Play Pong!

Are you bored waiting for the lights to change?  Perhaps you are like the rest of the British population and simply walk when it appears to be safe.  In Germany, two design students have come up with a solution for bored pedestrians: Street Pong! So what do you do in the developed world, whilst waiting for traffic lights to change?

Sandro Engel and Amelie Kunzler from Hildesheim’s University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HAWK) developed a prototype of Street Pong— a game that pedestrians play against each other from across the road  The two have been developing this solution to road safety since 2012.

ActiWait is a simple idea where the button you normally push (usually impatiently) to cross the street is replaced with a touchscreen device.  The device allows you to play a competitive game of Pong with whoever is on the other side of the road.

The developers are hoping to create even more applications (like speed dating or traffic education for children) to be used on this exciting new development.

So what benefits does a game of Pong at traffic lights entail?  The hopes are that jaywalking will be reduced so that road safety is increased.  This could especially have a benefit for young teenagers who are more at risk of being hit by a car then any other age group.

Currently, there is a working prototype in Hildesheim (new tourist location?) however, Engel and Kunzler have launched an Indiegogo campaign in hopes of raising the funding needed to take this development further.  For instance, ActiWait needs a better protective shell, safety testing and an increase in software development.

Perhaps if they can raise $43,000, you may be able to test out a game of street Pong in your own city.

[Image via ign]

SOURCE: http://gizmodo.com/these-traffic-lights-let-you-play-pong-with-random-stra-1667746532