This is our submission for the Student Design Challenge at Interaction16.
Sanitation workers have one of the highest fatality rates in America. Yet it is a thankless job: most of us don’t even think about the workers that clean up after us. Every day, sanitation workers are out on the streets, and they risk getting hit by impatient drivers. A key reason for this problem is that workers become “numb” to hazards because they are immersed in the danger every day. That’s why we’ve created WristGuard, a smart glove that alerts workers in real time about oncoming vehicles. It is paired with a tracking system in the garbage truck which monitors oncoming traffic. We want to come to Helsinki to collaborate with other designers on improving worker safety. As we think about the “future we deserve”, it is important to us that we remember the invisible people that keep public services running, and we design the future that they too deserve.
Videos taken from New York Times, DSNY, Google, FitBit, Apple, USPS, Imperial Moving and Storage. All rights reserved by the above owners.
