Smart Sash: Motion-Activated Pedestrian Safety Device

For this project, I designed and tested a wearable device aimed at improving pedestrian visibility in low-light conditions. The "Smart Sash" integrates reflective materials with a low-intensity LED strip and a PIR motion sensor that triggers high-brightness LEDs when vehicles approach. Using an ABAB reversal small-n design, I conducted 12 walking trials that compared baseline and intervention phases. Results showed dramatic improvements in driver yielding behavior (from 1.3 to 4.5 cars per trial), observer-rated visibility (from 1.7 to 4.7), and perceived safety (from 3.0 to 8.3). This project demonstrated the potential for low-cost, motion-sensitive wearables to meaningfully enhance pedestrian safety and could be adapted for broader real-world use in contexts like jogging, school crossings, and construction zones.

The purpose of this project was to imagine an efficient solution for pedestrian fatalities at night. Meaning I was tasked with collecting data and demonstrating the effectiveness of the Sash using R. This is why I was allowed to generate polished images from ChatGPT to actually show how a physical product would look.