New App Actually Alerts Texting Walkers They’re About to Get Hit by a Car
- Posted on November 29, 2011 at 10:18am by
Liz Klimas
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(Photo: Richard Perry/New York Times)
If someone you know can’t talk (or text), walk and chew gum at the same time without putting his or her life in danger or if they were just never taught to look both ways before crossing the street, here is the app for them. The WalkSafe app for Android phones helps makes sure distracted walkers don‘t get slammed by an oncoming vehicle by letting them know what’s coming.
Popular Science has more on the app:
The app uses the outward facing camera on a smartphone to help a pedestrian look both ways (or at least one way). Using vision algorithms built into the app, the system determines which way cars on the roadway are facing and whether or not they are moving, taking into account the tilt of the phone and varying light conditions to establish an accurate picture of the roadway. It then figures out if any approaching vehicle is a threat to the user.
WalkSafe, as the app is known, can detect cars moving 30 miles per hour at more than 160 feet, notifying the unwary user via auditory and vibrating alerts that in addition to whatever bad news his/her mom/girlfriend/boyfriend/lawyer is dishing out via the phone line, he or she is also about to be struck down mid-stride.
Watch how the WalkSafe app works:
This probably won’t prevent walkers from running into stationary objects such as fountains or manholes. Nor does it get rid of the fact that many cities are imposing fines on people caught walking across the street while texting.
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MUDFLAPS
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 10:36pmAnother technology that says, your to frigging stupid to look around you and see a car coming because you have your ipod plugged in and you cant hear a train coming let alone a car. What, are we going to eventually need an ap to tell us to pull our pants down before we go to the bathroom and another Ap to tell us to wipe?
Report Post »TechDel
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 8:31pmGreat app! Crap your pants now…you are about to die, a**hole.
Spay & Neuter Liberals
Report Post »ZaphodsPlanet
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 5:12pmShould be called Darwin Preventer.
Report Post »PoliticiansRCrooks
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 7:00pmwho ever buys that app is a slave
Report Post »slvrserfr
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:34pmAn app for the oblivious! But by the time they are notified, they’ll probably be hit already – kind of defeats the purpose.
Report Post »last frontier
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 4:11pmNanny app.
Report Post »Fubar Frog
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:55pmHad a girl too busy texting to watch where she was going almost run into my shopping cart as I was standing still, wating to see what she was going to do. She looked at me as if her almost hitting my cart was MY fault. If they’re too stupid to text while they are stationary, then let them get ran over and thin the herd!
Report Post »Seagal45
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:15pmOh my gosh…..at least I got a good laugh today.
Report Post »PoliticiansRCrooks
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 7:01pmhow is that funny? some one is watching you every where you go. its perverted
Report Post »wordweaver
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:12pm…or you could rely on your God-given senses of sight, hearing, smell, etc. to warn you of impending danger. That has served me well for over 5 decades. Think I’ll get to work on a bear/cougar warning app for hikers in the woods. Oh yeah, they’ll buy it!
Report Post »drphil69
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:21pmI predict the maker of the app will be sued as people become dependent on the app and just stop paying attention. Then when they get run over, they blame the app and a moronic jury will award the moronic texter millions for being a moron.
Is the coffee too hot?
Report Post »IntegrityFirst
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:21pmAlert, you are about to die, idiot.
Report Post »SomeRandomPerson
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:59pmGuess I’ll have to post this yet again
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I am 'We the People
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 1:53pmAwesome!
Report Post »Stoic one
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:30pmcool…………………….
Report Post »SmallGovBigGuns
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:53pmi graduated from college last year.. let me tell ya there is no place more annoying than the halls right after class lets out as all the morons on their smart phones pin ball off eachother trying to navigate while they text. morons
Report Post »dmerwin
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:46pmWhy? Let’s thin the herd.
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 3:33pmMy sentiments exactly. Maybe some enterprising hacker can reprogram the app to tell them to stand still when they are about to get hit
Report Post »Yeah_Buddy
Posted on November 30, 2011 at 3:49pmYeah, hack that app and direct user right into on-coming traffic. Whoops…re-cal-i-bra-ting…ouch! Awesome!
Report Post »Mr.Fitnah
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:45pmThose people need an app to inform them they are brain dead.
Report Post »Dinkiecb
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 2:17pmIf their brain dead then they can’t operate their phone…
Report Post »The Jewish Avenger
Posted on November 29, 2011 at 12:32pmText: Watch this…
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