How does this little sticker prevent thousands of accidents?
Semcon's Life Sticker uses movement sensors to warn you if a cyclist is approaching
It's a scene that's seen all-too-often in the movies - a passing cyclist gets flattened by an unsuspecting car passenger who opens the door just as he's cycling by. In real life though, these accidents do happen. And they can result in serious injuries to the person on the bicycle (or motorcycle). That happened to a friend of Duokai Wang, an employee of Semcon, and led him to come up with the concept of the Life Sticker in an internal competition.
The idea is simple. The Life Sticker is a small device that can be secured to any car's side mirror. It contains motion sensors, directional antennas, and uses low-energy Bluetooth to detect when a smartphone is approach your car door, lighting up in the process. Because it contains spherical solar-cells for power, the Life Sticker works independent of the car, and there are no issues with power. Installation only requires you to stick it on your car door. Simple and effective.
Semcon hopes to be able to produce units for less than two Euros each, so the cost of adding these to your car can really be considered minimal.
Let's hope they find the right partners to really get this on the roads soon.
View it in action below: