# Water-Activated Warnings The Water-Intimated Floor-Marks Concept Reduces Incidences of Slipping By Amelia Roblin | Published 2014-01-14 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/waterintimated-floormarks References: [red-dot.sg](http://www.red-dot.sg/en/online-exhibition/concept/?code=897&y=2013&c=1&a=0) & [zju.edu.cn](http://www.zju.edu.cn/english/) Because it isn't always the janitor who makes floors wet, the Water-Intimated Floor-Marks system would be a helpful feature in any public building. The concept is for a special type of flooring or flooring treatment that alerts pedestrians about spills without the use of signage. A team of designers from the Zhejiang University have dreamed up a different way to notify passers-by about dangerous puddles. The tiles, the wood or the concrete would have a dye absorbed into it that's water-sensitive. This special ink would be applied to take the familiar symbols that you see on slip-risk signs. With the Water-Intimated Floor-Marks system, these images would appear within the spill itself, informing people of its presence and encouraging them to walk around it. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 0.5/10 - Popularity: 4% | Activity: 3% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/design) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Water-intimated Floor-marks:** The concept of water-sensitive flooring or flooring treatment that alerts pedestrians about spills without the use of signage presents opportunities for disruptive innovation in safety and wayfinding technology. - **Dye-absorbing Ink:** The use of ink that is activated by water to create familiar symbols within spills opens up possibilities for disruptive innovation in visual communication and hazard notification systems. - **Water-activated Signage Alternatives:** The development of alternative methods to traditional signages, such as water-activated floor marks, offers disruptive innovation opportunities to enhance safety protocols and improve user experiences in public buildings. ### Who This Affects Most - **Architecture and Construction:** The water-intimated floor-marks system could disrupt the architecture and construction industry by incorporating innovative safety features in building designs and materials. - **Facility Management:** The adoption of water-activated warnings in facility management can revolutionize safety protocols and improve incident response in public buildings, creating a new standard for facility management practices. - **Safety and Wayfinding Technology:** The development of water-activated indicators and signage alternatives presents disruptive innovation opportunities in the field of safety and wayfinding technology, enabling more seamless and effective hazard communication. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Pedestrian-Detecting Crosswalks](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-pedestrian-crosswalk.md) - [Water-Activated Book Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/dehydrating-book.md) - [Waterproof Color-Changing Bandages](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/drysee-bandages.md) - [Alerting Boiled Water Discs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/water-boil-alert-disc.md) - [Train-Inspired Wayfinding Markers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wayfinding-markers.md) - [Shifting Hydration Cup Concepts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tilting-water-cup.md) - [Accessible Shower Mats](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mullen-shower-mat.md) - [Pressure-Sensitive Shower Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-shower-concept.md) - [Versatile Omnidirectional Floors](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/holotile.md)