Skip to main content

Creepy robots direct Japan’s work zone traffic

Driving through a road construction zone usually involves obeying flashing signs or traffic signals. Japan has another answer to moving motorists through a road construction zone –battery powered robots. Called Anzen Taro, which roughly translates to ‘Safety Sam’, the dead-eyed entities range from electronic cartoons to crude scarecrows and disembodied torsos and are used to control traffic around government-funded construction sites in Japan. Their complexity varies from a simple metal plate to clothed
January 29, 2014 Read time: 1 min
Driving through a road construction zone usually involves obeying flashing signs or traffic signals.  Japan has another answer to moving motorists through a road construction zone –battery powered robots.

Called Anzen Taro, which roughly translates to ‘Safety Sam’, the dead-eyed entities range from electronic cartoons to crude scarecrows and disembodied torsos and are used to control traffic around government-funded construction sites in Japan. Their complexity varies from a simple metal plate to clothed mannequins, all with a robotic arm to direct traffic.

Related Content

  • Measuring alertness to avert drowsy driver incidents
    December 21, 2015
    Falling asleep at the wheel is the primary cause in thousands of deaths on American and other roads, with truck drivers the most at-risk group. David Crawford investigates measures to counter drowsy driving.
  • Jenoptik highlights Vector ANPR cameras
    April 4, 2016
    Jenoptik, the international solution provider for global traffic safety, is highlighting its Vector ANPR cameras which are a vital tool used by police and security forces around the globe. Operated in temporary and long-term installations, Vector is able to rapidly identify and report on vehicles of interest. Working as stand-alone units, or part of a wide ANPR network, Vector provides a 24/7 monitoring capability, with each camera capable of capturing thousands of plate reads every day.
  • Continental gestures to a safer driving future
    April 10, 2017
    To improve non-verbal communication between drivers and their vehicles, Continental has devised a range of user-friendly touch gestures for the cockpit, using a combination of gesture interaction and touch screens. This enables drivers to draw specific, defined symbols on the input display to trigger a diverse array of functions and features for rapid access. According to Dr Heinz Abel, head of Cross Product Solutions at Continental’s Instrumentation and Driver HMI business unit, the use of gestures and
  • Peter Norton: ‘We can reintroduce freedom of choice in transportation’
    April 22, 2022
    Funding for transit, cycling and walkability can be politically divisive – so why not bypass politics by letting toll payers themselves choose how a fraction of their toll is spent, asks Peter Norton