Enhancing traffic safety with wearable low-resolution displays

Safety is a major concern for non-motorized traffic participants, such as cyclists, pedestrians or skaters. Due to their weak nature compared to cars, accidents often lead to serious implications. In this paper, we investigate how additional protection can be achieved with wearable displays attached to a person's arm, leg or back. Different to prior work, we present an extensive study on design considerations for wearable displays in traffic. Based on interviews, experiments, and an online questionnaire with more than 100 participants, we identify potential placements, form factors, and use-cases. These findings enabled us to develop a wearable display system for traffic safety, called beSeen. It can be attached to different parts of the human body, such as arms, legs, or the back. Our device unobtrusively recognizes turn indication gestures, braking, and its placement on the body. We evaluate beSeen's performance and show that it can be reliably used for enhancing traffic safety.