You Wouldn’t Mind Waiting For The Light To Change With This Nifty Gadget

The concept for StreetPong was unveiled by three students from HAWK University in 2012. StreetPong was a small game of the arcade classic Pong, affixed at street intersections so that people waiting on opposite corners could pass the time playing against one another. The students, Amelie Kunzler, Sandro Angel, and Holger Michel, worked with design firms and traffic experts to create a fully-functional StreetPong set. The concept video made the rounds of the Internet and became so popular that StreetPong finally became a reality.

The concept video for StreetPong.

StreetPong was recently approved for public use by the cities of Hildesheim and Oberhausen in Germany. StreetPong machines are currently being installed in several major crosswalks. They”ve had a name change, though, and are now called ActiWait. ActiWait provides pedestrians with a fun way to pass the time and interact with a stranger. Developers also hope it will encourage people to wait until it”s safe to cross the street, rather than attempting to dodge traffic.

The unveiling of the real live ActiWait, FKA StreetPong.

This might be a good way to get pedestrians to slow down and make safer decisions when navigating the roads. Of course, they”ll have to be careful not to get too wrapped up in the game, lest they be late.

Via Colossal