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Japan's Akita University developed "Safe Crossing the Road King" to make grandma and grandma cross the road more at ease     "Old people, you must be careful when crossing the road!" This is the voice of police stations all over Japan. In order to strengthen traffic safety education, 88 regions across Japan (as of 2019) have ordered a simulated walking environment machine called "Safe Crossing the Road Jun" (わたりジョーズ君) from Akita City. Some set it up at intersections, or use it as an advocacy tool at seminars. The developers are Akita University Faculty of Engineering and Yokote Seiko Corporation.   The road safety of the elderly is a hidden concern The number of elderly people dying in car accidents in Japan continues unabated. Taking 2016 as an example, among the 3,904 people who died in traffic accidents, the elderly accounted for 54.8%. Among them, 1,003 people (73.7%) walked the most, 643 people drove (48.1%), 342 people rode bicycles (67.2%), and 142 people (20.8%) rode motorcycles. In fact, Taiwan is not far behind. Taking Taipei City as an example, between 2014 and 2018, there were 156 pedestrian deaths, and 70.5% were over 65 years old. In Japan, through the renewal of the driver's license test for the elderly, it is known that 50,000 of the 1.66 million elderly people over the age of 75 have reduced cognitive function due to advanced age, which proves that the number of dementia is also increasing year by year.   The world's first sensor machine that simulates the walking environment The aging rate of Akita Prefecture ranks first in Japan (in 2018, 36.3% of the total population is over 65 years old), and the anti-aging strategy does not fall behind and actively challenges. The launch of "Safe Crossing the Road" is one of them. Akita City, the capital of Akita Prefecture, won the first age-friendly city in Japan with its meticulous urban planning, and combined with academic institutions to work hard on the prevention of dementia. In 2019, in response to the "Comprehensive Strategy for Dementia Policy Promotion" promoted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Akita University established the "Advanced Medical Research Center for the Elderly" (called the New Orange Project). Because, warm orange is a sign of friendliness to the demented. The university stepped out of the ivory tower, making Akita County one of the six pioneer areas (Sapporo City in Hokkaido, Itabashi District in Tokyo, Shikokuいのcho, Toyoake City and Tokai City in the central part) that implemented the localization of dementia in Japan. . "Dedicated to realizing a society that is understanding and friendly to people with dementia. Let them live in a familiar environment and respect their will to live in their own way" is an essential element. It is estimated that there will be 9 million people with dementia in Japan in 2050, accounting for 25% of the elderly population. Globally, from 2015 to 2050, it is estimated that the number of people will rise from 50 million to 150 million. "Safe Cross the Road" claims to be the world's first machine that uses sensors to sense the walking environment. Obtained a patent in 2014, and after improvement, it is light and practical, and it is also suitable for children and the physically and visually impaired. The machine weighs 85 kg and has an 80-inch three-sided screen. The installation area needs to be about 2 meters by 4 meters, and the assembly time is 20 minutes.   Promote Traffic Safety Education "The problem of declining birthrate and aging population is piled up like a mountain. It is our philosophy to make use of engineering expertise and technology to commercialize ideas and help society," said Mitobe Itsutaka, a professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Akita University. The program is implemented jointly by academia, industry and local government. The government provides financial resources, and the cooperative enterprise is the local Yokote Seiko, which is responsible for the development of sensors and the sales and maintenance of products. Under the recommendation of Mitobu, I actually experienced "Crossing the Road Safely" at Yokote Seiki Company. On the side is Suzuki Yukari, who is a cadre of Yokote Seiko's sales department and has a special title of "traffic psychologist". Suzuki understands the ability or degree of degeneration of the elderly, how the senses such as vision and hearing degenerate, and then judges how to affect behavior. When I stood in front of the three-sided scene presented by 3D computer graphics, a zebra crossing appeared on the middle screen immediately. As soon as my feet started to stomp, the view of the driveway on both sides of the screen also changed accordingly. I choose to cross the road on a rainy evening. The weather was bad and the visibility was poor. When I was about to cross the road, Suzuki on the side signaled me to raise my right hand to give a warning. At this time, the speed of the car slowed down...   Originality is the key to product durability Experiencers can freely combine this multifunctional machine, such as choosing different time (day, evening, night), climate (rain, snow, fog, etc.), road shape, vehicle walking speed, number of vehicles and driving time. habit type etc. There is also a replay function, which can be selected from 3 perspectives: top view, experiencer or driver. Finally, the comic-type chart is used to let the experiencer review the lack of walking by himself.     Through the experience, pedestrians confirm the walking ability and judgment ability they need, and in the imaginary space, learn how to evaluate the speed of cars approaching and the time to enter the lane, and finally master and develop the tips and habits of safe walking. "Safe Cross the Road" is made by motion capture, combined with big data, VR, 5G and sensors. In order to reduce the risk of car accidents for the elderly, this machine also has originality and scalability. "Only original ideas and products can be widely used for a long time," Mitobu revealed the motivation for the development. Although the cost of land and personnel in Akita is lower than other places in Japan, it still cannot compete with China or Southeast Asia. "We are actively seeking technical cooperation with foreign countries, hoping to design machines suitable for the local area in line with the local geographical and cultural conditions." "Safe Crossing the Road" has received rave reviews, and the traffic safety education team of the Kanagawa Police Department stated that after purchasing and installing it at the intersection, it has indeed effectively curbed many misfortunes. "Every time we receive a letter of thanks, we are very pleased," said Kazutaka Mitobe with a smile on his face.   The next step is cycling and driving Following walking, induction simulators for cycling and driving are also under development. The bicycle simulator is made by hand by graduate students of Mitobe. They bought a training bike and modified it, and then connected it to a computer for measurement data. Sensors are key components. After wearing the VR goggles and riding a bicycle, the experiencer has sensors in his head, neck, waist and both knees. Through sensors, various data can be recorded, such as the movement of various parts of the body, the time required for the movement, the distance of the car, etc., so as to understand the habits and characteristics of the cyclist and the cause and effect of the car accident.  

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