SBIR-STTR Award

In 2008, there were 69,000 and 52,000 injuries reported for pedestrians and bicyclists respectively. A majority of these injuries were a result of impulsive decisions by road users. This proposal aims to make use of proliferation of smartphones and provide a technical solution to mitigate the risks associated with these two types of road users. The SmartCross application will enable pedestrians and bicyclists to make informed decisions for crossing a signalized intersection, thereby reducing the risks. The application would provide the smartphone user with the traffic light status for the intersections as well as alerting them of potential crash risks. The use cases and requirements will be defined by studying the different scenarios between the pedestrian, the traffic light and nearby DSRC equipped devices. We will demonstrate, in both laboratory and real world settings, how a smartphone would connect to roadside infrastructure using available short-range wireless technologies like WiFi and Bluetooth. SmartCross will provide user feedback via audio, visual and haptic mechanisms. The feature set can be further extended to implement features like two-way communication with the traffic light controller to request pedestrian phase extension and to provide alerts to DSRC equipped vehicles about potential pedestrian/bicyclist hazards

The primary objective for Phase I was to design and develop a proof of concept system demonstrating the basic functionality and feasibility to deploy technology in the field. During the six-month effort, a detailed Concept of Operations document was prepared that served as a foundation for the design and development of the SmartCross system. The core components of the system: (a) Smartphone application which leveraged new wireless technologies including WiFi and GPS (b) RSE Algorithms were developed and demonstrated as part of the final deliverable. The smartphone application was designed to provide the user with audio, visual and haptic alerts about the various pedestrian phases on the selected crosswalk. It also provided alerts to pedestrian if the system detects vehicles in a conflicting path. In Phase II, the primary technical objective is to develop a commercially deployable and sustainable SmartCross system that not only serves as a pedestrian signal alert system but also ties into the Connected Vehicle Research. This allows the system to evolve with time and developments to ensure greater safety at the traffic intersections. The SmartCross system is not only an application on the smartphone but the entire framework needed to ensure that the pedestrians and cyclists are warned of any potential threat at the intersection. The system is designed to be fully scalable and to be integrated with various types of intelligent traffic signal systems. In Phase I, a proof of concept system was deployed, its basic functionality and future scope was clearly demonstrated. In Phase II, the proof of concept will serve as the starting point upon which further development will be carried out based on the feedback from various user groups. One of the user groups for whom this system will be of great use and significantly impact their lives is people with visual impairment. Their enthusiasm for this system was clearly shown during the SMARTDrive Connected Vehicle demonstration by the Maricopa County DOT (April 26, 2012). The team will also place emphasis on cyclists and will address those needs, extending the product to cover them. Phase Two will involve workshops with focus groups to ensure that the team understands and addresses the needs of the end user. The Concept of Operations document developed during Phase One will be revised and will serve as the foundation for Phase two. It will include the latest technologies, user needs, smartphone platforms and test plans envisioned for Phase Two. The remainder of this section details the objectives of Phase Two in greater detail.