Researchers at Austria’s Graz University of Technology have created a new pedestrian traffic light system to rival traditional push-button pedestrian traffic systems.

The camera-based system developed by researchers at Graz University is designed to recognize when a pedestrian wants to cross the street, thereby triggering the pedestrian light to change to green. This is accomplished with help from cameras mounted to pedestrian lights that scan a roughly 26-by 16-ft field for pedestrians — whereas traditional systems only scan a roughly 6- by 9-ft field for pedestrians. Within seconds, the system can determine if the pedestrian intends to cross the street thanks to learning algorithms that were built using recorded data and global movement models. The Graz system reportedly triggers the light change three to four seconds faster than pushing the button would.

Similarly, the system will also improve traffic flow, according to Horst Possegger from Graz University's Institute of Computer Graphics and Vision.

"The green phase can be extended in the case of large groups of persons, who require more time to cross the road. And if persons leave the waiting area before the lights have turned to green, this is also passed on to the lights. The traffic lights subsequently don't switch to green and there are no unnecessary waiting times for motorized traffic."

To assuage the fears of pedestrians concerned about privacy, researchers insist that any images captured of pedestrians within the scanned fields would only be analyzed locally, never leaving the cameras. Likewise, the traffic lights will be outfitted with monitoring systems that are capable of immediately reporting faults or handling voltage fluctuations and enabling the system to work around the clock, in harsh environments.

Researchers from the Austrian-based electrical engineering outfit Günther Pichler GmbH are currently replacing push-button pedestrian traffic systems in select locations of Vienna with the Graz technology for a trial period.