Re-Invent the Payphone Competition

An Augmented Reality: The Future of NYC's Payphone Infrastructure

There are almost 12,000 payphones scattered throughout New York City. This out of date infrastructure provides an opportunity to bring NYC into the future and improve the life of everyday New Yorkers. The proposed pod contains WiFi to make NYC wireless, a crime alert system to make the city a safer place, bike share to promote green transportation and augmented reality compatibility to view the virtual world. Why settle for the present when you can live in the future?

Example of how the interface would appear in Augmented Reality. Each logo triggers a corresponding feed that can display public transit information, weather, social media, even public announcement and advertisements.

By having WiFi in each unit, a safety network can be created.  Each pod has led lights withing that enable it to glow one of several colors based off of the current safety level.  When a 911 call is place, the operator can send a… — By having WiFi in each unit, a safety network can be created. Each pod has led lights withing that enable it to glow one of several colors based off of the current safety level. When a 911 call is place, the operator can send a signal to the pods in that area to help make residents aware of possible danger. The pod becomes an information asset to its surrounding area.

To much delight, this project was chosen by judges as a finalist. To help convey the concept, a full scale model was made. Due to time restrictions, it had to be constructed in one weekend without access to any digital fabrication equipment. With the help of a friend and colleague, Sean Carlin, the model was finished on time. We opted to make it from MDF due to budget restrictions and the ability to easily shape it. In 3 days we went from a flat piece of mdf to a fully painted model. Including design time, the project took just under 2.5 weeks.