Be Smart-Phone Zombie!: Guidance Display for Texting While Walking Using Striped Pattern and High-Speed Projection

Texting while walking, often referred to as a “smartphone zombie”, has become a growing social issue that increases the risk of traffic accidents and pedestrian collisions. In this study, we propose a novel guidance display system that selectively presents visual guidance or warnings only to pedestrians using their smartphones while walking. The system employs high-speed projection of stripe-decomposed patterns, which are perceptible only when the user is walking with a fixed gaze while focusing on their smartphone. The display remains imperceptible to pedestrians walking normally and appears as a white image. This allows guidance to be provided only to those with a fixed gaze on their smartphone, while preserving the visual field and surrounding landscape for others. This paper introduces the proposed technique and describes a demonstration setup, along with results from a preliminary user study conducted to evaluate its effectiveness.