AT&T & NYU Poly’s Connected Intersections Challenge #WearableWednesday
Connected Intersections challenge from AT&T, NYU Poly, and NYC Media Lab:
Smart phones are increasingly the common denominator among pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers on NYC’s crowded streets. Create technology to connect those in traffic and keep pedestrians safe and alert.
Building on national efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of texting while driving, AT&T introduces Connected Intersections, a new traffic safety initiative to spur technological solutions to improve traffic safety on New York City streets and in other urban environments. The challenge seeks to leverage smart phone technology and wireless networks to make pedestrians, cyclists and motorists more aware of their surroundings and alert them to potential dangers.
To kick-off Connected Intersections, AT&T, NYC Media Lab and New York University’s Polytechnic School of Engineering produced a white paper drawing on research from around the country that examines smart phone distraction and impediments to traffic safety.
The paper provides a springboard for a three-month tech challenge where developers will compete to create smart phone apps and wearable solutions that aim to augment the public’s connectedness to their immediate surroundings while reducing distraction.
How you can contribute
Connected Intersections challenges software developers, UX/UI/IxD professionals, designers, and technologists around the world to submit technological solutions that apply smart phones, wearable technology, and wireless networks to improve traffic safety and reduce collisions.
What type of app, wearable device, or technology will you create to increase environmental awareness for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers? Will you deploy Natural User Interface (NUI) design principles? Or, will you use sensor-based technologies or device-to-device communication?
There are many ways to approach the problem of traffic safety and join the expanding community of New York City elected officials, policy makers, advocates and concerned citizens working to improve traffic safety and reduce injuries and fatalities from vehicle collisions. Now you can be part of the solution.
Ready to start? Register for the challenge and go to the Resources page to get access to traffic safety data, facts, and research.
A limited number of challenge participants signed up to receive FLORA kits for their wearable tech solutions! We can’t wait to see what they build.
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Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
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