UC Parking Lights

PROBLEM:

The constant traffic caused by people trying to find a table in the UC proves to be incredibly inconvenient, especially during the lunch hours. In order to find a place to sit and eat, people must walk back and forth through the UC because the tables are not visible from afar and it is difficult to see if a table is open. 

OBSERVATIONS:

Because of the many pillars and walls in the UC near the tables, it is very hard to tell if those tables are occupied from far away. Currently, the only way to tell if a table is occupied, especially one out of the current line of sight, is to walk over to where the table is and check. If the table happens to be full, now that person must walk all the way back around in order to find an open table. Our design is to make finding open tables easier and less time consuming. 

SOLUTION:

In order to avoid wasting time and causing traffic, we plan on installing lights above each table in the UC (including the main area, poolside and workout area) that are connected wirelessly to weight sensors placed underneath each table. Weight sensors will also be placed on the bottom of the chairs to ensure that someone is sitting on that seat. Each weight sensor on the bottom will be put under the carpet and either 3.5' x 3.5' or 4' x 6' in size depending on the table. The sensors will be programmed to respond to a weight of at least 90 lbs, ensuring that it will only react when a person is sitting there. 

There will be lights placed above each table in the UC. The lights above each table will remain green if the tables are vacant.When a person sits at a table, the weight sensors on both the chair and underneath the table go off and send a signal to the overhanging light. The light then changes from green to red to indicate that the table is now occupied. These lights will be connected to a digital map placed the neighboring room. This digital map will display a floor plan of each area and show either red or green dots on the screen to represent each table. 

Along with the lights to alert people whether or not tables are occupied in the physical sphere, we also decided that a two-dimensional representation of the map of tables in the UC should also be visible near where a lot of people gather near the food services in the UC, so the average person can see from a quick glance if there are manytables open or not. The map will be very basic, with just circles or rectangles to represent tables, and those shapes will either be green, red, or yellow depending on the current light color over that table.

POSSIBLE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES:

As convenient as this prototype can be, there are still many possible errors that can affect this entire intervention. 

(1) People can move the chairs and tables around in the UC and take them off the weight sensors situated in the floor. 

(2) The light bulbs above each table can burn out and not respond to the sensors.

(3) The cost of maintenance and training to keep these machines in check will be very expensive. 

(4) These lights can make sharing tables difficult or awkward because the light will be green even if only one person is at a table. 

(5) There could be possible connection issues between the light bulb and the sensors underneath. 

(6) The colored lights can be somewhat obtrusive when trying to work at the tables. 

(7) Having so many different machines for each table can be hazardous. 

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:

(1) By having a weight sensor on the chair directly (as seen in the diagram), even if someone moves a chair, the weight sensor will still pick up the sensor. It is possible to have the chair connect the weight sensor to the network of the table closest to it, instead of just the original programmed table.

(2) LED's last much longer than standard fluorescent bulbs, and would probably be used.

(4) There could be an option for a yellow light that can be activated by someone at a table to indicate that they would not mind sharing the table. 

(5) Instead of having a wireless connection, the connection between the weight sensor underneath the table itself (which can be wirelessly connected to the pad underneath the table) can be hardwired through the floor along with the wiring for the lights themselves.

(6) The light bulbs used can be small enough to not interfere with the person working but large enough to see from far away.