36. Neighborhood Guides
What kind of things are in a neighborhood? Where are they? Interactive kiosks in tourist heavy areas could answer these questions, and display helpful videos about important New York landmarks, like the World Trade Center. Users could use the interactive map to find restaurants & other local businesses. A camera attached to each kiosk helps dissuade vandalism.
What kind of things are in a neighborhood? Where are they? Interactive kiosks in tourist heavy areas could answer these questions, and display helpful videos about important New York landmarks, like the World Trade Center. Users could use the interactive map to find restaurants & other local businesses. A camera attached to each kiosk helps dissuade vandalism.
35. Smell Detectors
Wouldn’t it be nice to know if the train smelled bad? Especially in the summer? Digital smell detectors affixed to the cars light up as the train gets progressively worse. This way, you know which car not to get on!
32. Security Cameras
Security has always been an issue with the subway system. New York infamously has been known for potentially sketchy trains, and it’s time to eliminate that past and embrace the future, which includes security cameras mounted in the trains. This will generate a sense of security, and law enforcement could easily utilize the footage in case something does happen.
30. Info Panels
It’d be great to have panels streaming live data about the system and the city. Seeing the weather outside can help me prepare accordingly, seeing a live feed of the tunnels will let me know if I’ll deal with any delays, and some live entertainment can either show off local television, or display info about local businesses to help break the monotony of the trip.
Also, 30. 70 left!
29. Electronic Notice Boards
Currently, when construction happens on the lines, hundreds of posters are printed and taped up in the stations. These posters are generally treated terribly, many of them are ripped or stolen, not to mention the wasted production costs & employee time spent taping them up.
The development of an electronic system, powered by boards such as these can alleviate the problem. This solves the printing problem, which in turn solves an issue of waste, in both garbage & employee pay.
I will be further exploring the language & design of the actual notices in the near future, stay tuned…
27. Glass x MTA
Recently, I was talking with a classmate, who shared her experience of getting lost in the subway system, and that not even better signage would help her.
Well, an app developed by the MTA feeding real time data and directions to riders would help her out, if she had Google Glass.
“Glass, Columbus Circle.” Glass would then give her directions, and time data, so she’d know whether to run or walk.
26. Wifi
26. Wifi on the trains. It helps in situations when people get stuck on the trains, so they can communicate with their jobs, friends, and family…for example, if you’re on the 1,2, or 3, and the lines get shut down because of a missing inmate. Or, keep track of your tasks/directions as you plan out your busy schedule. Or even watch cat videos on Youtube. Wifi would enable a whole new level of ease on the trains.
25. Train Positions
“Ahh crap, I just missed the R train…where’s the next one? Oh, 28th street! Awesome!”
24. Subway Timers
One of the biggest problems the subway has are people attempting to squeeze into the car as the doors are closing. This is attributed to a number of reasons, one of them being that the riders don’t know how much time is left before the doors close, which cause them to hurry to a train, endangering themselves, fellow riders, and potentially causing time delays on the entire system.
Timers located near the doors could help alleviate this problem. Start them at 30 seconds, and countdown. At zero, doors close. This way, if someone sees the train with 5 seconds left, and they’re 20 seconds away, they’ll second guess about trying to run for the doors.
Timers on the subway? Yeah.