Laser-Guided Street Corners

The Guardian Crosswalk is designed to make street corners safer for both pedestrians and drivers. Designer Hojoon Lim's ingenious concept uses lasers as a barrier to prevent over-eager pedestrians from crossing and to ensure that cars stay out of crosswalks.

The Guardian Crosswalk functions a lot like a normal crosswalk. Lighted pillars alert pedestrians as to when they can and can't cross. However, the key difference between contemporary crosswalks and the Guardian are the latter's lasers. The lasers are active at all times and are used to either shield those crossing from cars or to keep pedestrians safely on the sidewalk as they wait to cross.

The Guardian Crosswalk puts a fresh and functional spin on a design that currently leaves a lot to be desired. Here's hoping the lasers aren't designed to function like lightsabers; Crossing early or late could be quite painful.