Concept Traffic-Light is an Hourglass for Traffic

[The Straight Story]

Concept Traffic-Light is an Hourglass for Traffic



Sand Glass is a concept traffic-light which gives visual feedback as to just how long you’re going to be stuck at a junction. Using the hourglass as a metaphor, Sand Glass lets its LED-pixels bleed through the lamp’s waist one by one, so you can see just when the lights will change.

It’s great, and if deployed would be diverting enough (for the first few weeks at least) to ease some of the boredom of waiting at the lights. I think the design is a little over-cautious, though, and could be simplified even further.

First, adding numbers seems redundant. Why bother with the whole hourglass schtick if you’re just going to put a countdown up there too? The flowing virtual-sand is plenty clear already, and allows for adjustment of the time remaining, something hard to do inconspicuously with numbers.

The Sand Glass could also remove the amber light altogether. The amber lamp is a throwback to times when both lights at a crossroads would be controlled by the same switch: flipping both lihts simultaneously would be dangerous, so the amber light provided a buffer in both directions. With the clear visual timing-signals in the Sand Glass, amber could finally be retired.

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/11/concept-traffic-light-is-an-hourglass-for-traffic/

[hobbit709]

1. Just what the street racers need.

[NightWatcher]

3. so they can nail the shit out of anyone running a yellow or orange or red

[hobbit709]

5. More like the "Christmas tree" lights at the drag strip.

[NightWatcher]

8. plus two yellows? yellow means "punch it" around here

[hobbit709]

10. That was on the old Art Linkletter show.

He asked a kid what the traffic lights meant and the kid responded with "Red means stop, green means go and yellow means go a little faster" You can see the dad cringing.

[rug]

2. That green one looks like a wine glass.

What message does that send?

[nessa]

4. This seems likely to get people taking off in anticipation of the change..

rather than when it actually changes.

[Cirque du So-What]

6. Risk-takers love a challenge

and the sight of a yellow light ticking down to zero is like waving a cape in front of an angry bull.

[rucky]

7. What if you're color blind?

The position of the stoplights is what tells them when to stop & go, but the red hourglass does the same thing as the green hourglass.

[nessa]

9. Very good point. (nt)

.

[madokie]

11. I like the idea

rec

[Occulus]

15. Won't work for the color blind

To my color-blind friend (and yes, I really do have one), the red and green are completely identical.

[Zanzobar]

12. Opposing traffic each has a yellow at the same time

Without regard to the light design, it's a recipe for T-Bone-O-Rama.

[Canuckistanian]

13. That's right, I never noticed that

They would have to make sure that both sides don't get a yellow at exactly the same time.

[Renew Deal]

14. I'm not sure if it would work

And if it would be worth the trouble. The current system works well. Replacing 3 bulbs with 1000 would be good.

The only time the yellow ever causes me trouble is when I travel. I live in NY. The yellow comes up for a certain period of time which I am used to. One time I was driving in Denver. The light went yellow. I had plenty of time. All of a sudden it went red and I was basically running the light. Scary feeling, but I adjusted quickly.