VRU Safety App

App Icon

Inspiration

The Continental Challenge inspired us to improve road safety for vulnerable users. So we came up with the idea to create an app that allows these vulnerable road users to navigate safely, with the main target demographic being blind and visually impaired people.

What it does

The VRU Safety App is a navigation and warning app. Both of these features utilize historical accident data to capture the danger of specific areas across Regensburg. This data allows us to find navigational routes that avoid them outright and warn the user with a combination of vibration, a push up notification, and a warning sound if they enter such a zone.

How we built it

We built our prototype using Flutter and Dart for cross-platform support and integrated an interactive map using the flutter_map package. We also used publicly available data from the Unfallatlas accident database to map zones that are more dangerous to VRUs. We then integrated the resulting map data into our own API and routing server, which are hosted using Docker.

Challenges we ran into

Analyze the data we have and check how we can filter for the relevant information
Implement sufficient accessibility features to make it usable by our target demographic
Working with Flutter and Dart for the first time
Properly integrating our routing and API servers in custom Docker containers

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Developing a working prototype within the hackathon timeframe
Creating a "heatmap" with data of dangerous areas
Creating working safe-navigation routes
Adding accessibility features for color-blind people
Managing to create an app in Flutter for the first time

What we learned

Separating work across the team members
Building an app with the Flutter framework in Dart
Building a rest API
Working with GPS and map data using

What's next for VRU Safety App

Implementing functioning emergency contacts for dangerous situations
Developing a driver alert system for nearby VRUs
Voice Commands: Allow hands-free operation through intuitive voice controls
Voice Feedback: Provide audible cues and updates for improved usability and safety