Traffic robots in Kinshasa

The Traffic Robot being presented to Dr. Jill Biden and Cathy Russell by Thérèse Izay Kirongozi in Kinshasa in July 2014.

Thérèse Izay, an engineer from Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, designed traffic robots that have been placed in two locations so far.[1] The robots were introduced towards the end of 2013.[2] Izay claims robots being used as traffic lights is unique[1] to the Democratic Republic of Congo.[note 1] Izay hopes the government will help by providing funds to produce more robots.[1]

The robots have red stop warning lights on the front and back of their torso, with green proceed lights on their arms. They rotate periodically to control traffic flow across a crossroads. They also carry TV cameras to record traffic violations. A claimed advantage of the robots is that, unlike local traffic police, they are immune to bribery.

It is contended that the robots divert attention from the real issues, which are around the growth of the city on the periphery.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Anthropomorphic figures have often been used, notably in Germany, to indicate roadworks. Their human-like appearance is considered to encourage drivers to slow down more than a simple sign.

References

  1. 1 2 3 http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/03/dr-congo-turns-robots-combat-traffic-20143205531424870.html
  2. ↑ http://www.engineering.com/DesignerEdge/DesignerEdgeArticles/ArticleID/7229/Traffic-Robots-in-the-Democratic-Republic-of-Congo.aspx
  3. ↑ The Case Against Giant Traffic Robots

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 6/6/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.