North Bay Area LightGuard Systems, Inc., manufacturer, distributor and tech leader of pedestrian/motorist warning traffic control devices announces the development of HeadsUp!®—a mobile traffic safety warning app for use at crosswalks, school zones, work zones, and on school buses, and emergency vehicles such as highway patrol units who are stopped along the roadway—among other applications.
HeadsUp! sends alerts via a beacon which transmits a BTLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) signal to the app in advance of pedestrian activity, roadway hazards, or other changes in traffic conditions. The beacon integrates with the company’s lighted crosswalks and can be installed at intersections, crosswalks, on school buses and work zone trucks, or worn on the body by a cyclist or jogger, for example.
Manual or on-demand events—such as a pedestrian activating a lighted crosswalk—trigger the beacon to communicate with the app via BTLE short-range communication. Motorists receive instant alerts—such as the presence of a pedestrian in an approaching crosswalk—via IOS or android mobile device.
HeadsUp! can substitute some CVI (Connected Vehicle Interface) functions, while also offering a more easily deployable, and less expensive option. Unlike CVI, its alerting system does not rely on line-of-sight. HeadsUp! also offers more timely alerts by broadcasting directly to a mobile phone—bypassing multiple communication layers, such as those CVI uses.
“Smart cities, schools, and the autonomous vehicle industry need a scalable way to tackle pedestrian and traffic safety,” says LightGuard Systems President Michael Harrison. “We believe that we have the solution and are excited to begin field testing.”
For twenty-five years, LightGuard Systems—traffic safety pioneers and creators of the lighted crosswalk category—has provided cities, schools, urban planners and transportation engineers early warning devices for pedestrian enhancements.