Sissi  Wang,  Jennifer  Wong,  Song  Yang  

¡  Passengers  congregate  near  entrances/exits  on  platforms  during  high  traffic  

§  Leads  to  uneven  crowd  density    

§  Areas  of  high  density  cause  increased  train  boarding  times    

¡  Solution  intends  to  prevent  passengers  from  congregating  near  entrances/exits  §  A  system  that  provides  feedback  (visual,  aural,  tactile)  to  passengers.    

¡  Lead  users:  §  Law  enforcement  § Military  §  Passengers  of  transportation  system  in  other  countries  

¡  Original  solution  consisted  of  two  distinct  subsystems:  1.  identify  congested  areas  on  platform;  2.  correct  the  crowding:  §  Congestion  identification  module  dropped  to  simplify  final  product  

(concepts  for  congestion  identification  are  in  Appendix  A)  §  Observations  show  that  congestion  happens  almost  always  near  

entrances/exits,  so  will  assume  congestion  occurs  at  these  locations  ¡  Concept  generation  methods  used  (in  order  of  use):  

§  6-­‐3-­‐5  §  SCAMPER  (using  a  result  of  6-­‐3-­‐5  as  the  “base  case”)  §  TRIZ  §  Biomimetic  design  §  N.B.:  Diagrams  for  more  complex  concepts  are  in  Appendix  B  

¡  Ideas  generated  during  6-­‐3-­‐5  session:  ▪  LCD  signs  that  encourage  crowd  movement  through  animation  and  text    

▪  A  model  of  the  station  which  shows  the  changing  crowd  distribution  in  real-­‐time,  and  the  approximate  time  needed  to  board  the  train  [Diagram  1]  

▪  Install  seats  near  ends  of  platforms  to  draw  passengers  away  from  entrances/exits  

▪  Install  conveyor  belt  which  leads  away  from  entrances/exits  to  assist  passengers  in  moving  away  from  crowded  areas  

▪  Change  the  texture  of  the  floor  near  entrances/exits,  making  it  less  desirable  to  stand  on,  by  making  it  uneven  [Diagram  2]  

▪  Physical  barriers  such  as  stanchions  which  reduce  the  standing  area  near  entrances/exits  

▪  Install  speakers  near  entrances/exits  which  play  “undesirable”  music    

▪  LCD  arrows  on  the  ground  directing  passengers  away  from  entrances/exits  

▪  Install  interactive  platform  floor  [Diagram  3]    

¡  Base  case  selected  for  SCAMPER  exercise:  LCD  signs  that  encourage  crowd  movement  through  animation  and  text    

¡  Substitute  –  LCD  signs  draw  on  sense  of  vision,  substitute  with  other  senses:  ▪  Aural  –  use  PA  broadcasts  to  direct  traffic  ▪  Tactile  –  create  a  tactile  path  on  the  ground  using  raised  patterns,  such  as  those  used  on  sidewalks  to  guide  the  visually-­‐impaired  

▪  Sense  of  temperature  –  place  air-­‐conditioners  or  heating  units  at  ends  of  platform  to  encourage  movement  to  those  areas  

§  Adapt  –  adapt  existing  methods  used  to  disperse  crowds:    ▪  “The  Mosquito”  is  a  device  which  plays  sounds  at  high  frequencies  –  these  sounds  discourage  people  from  remaining  in  that  area  

§  Magnify  –  increase  the  intensity  of  other  solutions:  ▪  Visual  –  magnify  LCD  signs  (weak)  to  unpleasant  lighting,  such  as  flashing  strobe  lights  (strong)  

▪  Temperature  –  instead  of  placing  heating  units  at  ends  of  platforms  during  winter,  (weak)  place  powerful  heat  lamps  near  entrances/exits  during  summer  (strong)  

¡  Improvement  Parameters:  §  9:  Velocity  §  15:  Duration  of  action  generalized  by  moving  object  §  16:  Duration  of  action  generalized  by  stationary  object  

§  25:  Waste  of  time  

¡  Conflicting  Parameters:  §  33:  User-­‐friendliness  §  36:  Complexity  of  design  object  

▪  Principle  of  Segmentation:    ▪  Divide  platform  into  sections  and  have  announcements  to  tell  people  to  move  from  one  section  to  another  –  explicitly  stating  “move  from  section  X  to  section  Y”  may  be  more  effective  than  blanket  statements  

▪  Principle  of  Universality:    ▪  Install  touchscreens  at  ends  of  platforms  that  can  perform  multiple  functions  –  e.g.  check  the  weather,  check  for  delays,  etc.  TV/touchscreens  

▪  Principle  of  Dynamism:    ▪  See-­‐saw  platform  that  tilts  based  on  spread  of  crowd  –  takes  advantage  of  people’s  preference  for  flat,  balanced  surfaces  [Diagram  4]  

▪  Vibrating  device  on  walls  that  prevents  people  from  leaning  against  walls,  leaving  a  path  for  people  to  walk  through  [Diagram  5]  

▪  Principle  of  Colours:    ▪  Platform  lights  near  entrances/exits  are  more  red,  while  lights  near  the  ends  are  more  green  –  uses  socially-­‐accepted  colour  conventions  

¡  1.  “open”:  The  Na  +  concentration  is  much  higher  outside  the  axon  than  inside  ,  so  when  the  sodium  channels  open  ,  Na  +  ions  from  the  outside  rush  into  the  axon.  §  Solution:  Turnstiles  that  only  let  people  move  from  entrances/

exits  towards  ends  of  platform,  but  not  vice  versa  [Diagram  6]  

¡  2.  "gate":  They  are  called  voltage-­‐gated  channels  because  there  is  a  particular  membrane  potential  ,  or  threshold  potential  ,  that  causes  them  to  open.  §  Solution:  Divide  platform  into  multiple  sections.  Have  

something  to  detect  the  number  of  people  in  each  section.  Once  the  number  of  people  in  a  section  exceeds  a  predetermined  limit,    an  alarm  sounds  to  direct  people  away.  The  alarm  will  only  stop  once  the  section  is  under  the  threshold  limit  of  people  again.    

¡  3."spread":  Plant  viruses  may  infect  cells  at  one  location  ,  then  spread  rapidly  through  a  plant  organ  by  plasmodesmata  until  they  reach  the  plant's  vascular  tissue  (circulatory  system).  Plasmodesmata  are  microscopic  channels  which  traverse  the  cell  walls  of  plant  cells  and  some  algal  cells,  enabling  transport  and  communication  between  them.  

§  Solution  1:  A  barrier  which  is  installed  near  staircases  to  divide  the  area  into  left  and  right  channels,  forcing  people  to  move  away  instead  of  forming  a  crowd  

§  Solution  2:  Discretize  platform  through  barriers  placed  along  platform  –  splitting  the  platform  into  discrete  segments  makes  it  easier  to  identify  and  avoid  crowds  [Diagram  7]  

¡  Crowd  identification  concepts  using  SCAMPER:  §  Base  case:  Divide  platform  into  segments  and  implement  weight  detection  

§  Substitute  –  substitute  weight  detection  with  other  senses:  ▪  Visual  –  place  cameras  along  the  platform  to  detect  which  segment  has  the  most  people  

▪  Aural  –  place  microphones  on  the  platform  to  detect  level  of  noise  at  each  segment  

▪  Sense  of  temperature  –  infrared  systems  to  detect  body  heat  to  locate  crowds  

§  Adapt  –  adapt  existing  systems  to  detect  objects  ▪  Use  radar  system  to  locate  crowds  

1)  Crowd  distribution  model    

LCD  screen  with  real-­‐time  data  showing  crowd  density  across  platform.  

2)  Textured  floor  

A  surface  consisting  of  raised  rubber  “spikes”  discourage  people  from  standing  there.  

3)  Interactive  floor  

Interactive  platform  floor  that  plays  music  when  different  parts  of  it  are  stepped  on.  

4)  See-­‐saw  platform  

Platform  is  divided  into  mini  see-­‐saws  near  entrances  to  encourage  movement  towards  the  end  of  the  platform  based  on  people’s  preference  for  flat  surfaces.  

5)  Vibrating  walls  

Vibrating  devices  on  walls  that  activate  when  leaned  against.  This  encourages  a  clear  path  to  be  left  beside  the  wall  for  people  to  move  through.  

6)  Turnstiles  

One-­‐way  turnstiles  placed  along  the  platform  that  only  allow  movement  towards  either  end  

7)  Discretized  platform  

Discretized  sections  make  it  easier  to  see  where  high  crowd  densities  are  

Platform