Two London-based companies Direct Line and Umbrellium have designed Starling Crossing, an interactive crosswalk that responds dynamically to its environment.

During rush hour, it automatically swells* to accommodate more pedestrians*. At quiet times, it disappears.

If someone is playing on their phone while crossing, a warning pattern would appear on the ground to alert both them and nearby vehicles to the danger.

The Starling Crossing keeps that familiar “zebra” pattern, but because its markings emerge from a 23-meter by 7.5-meter waterproof network of LED* lights embedded into the road, it is able to modify its layout, size and even color on demand.

Two cameras positioned at opposite ends of the road are programmed to take about 25 images of the street per second. The crossing’s central processing unit processes these images, distinguishing * between pedestrians, cyclists and cars. (SD-Agencies)