The Application that will put an end to blocking of handicapped parking spaces
In Israel there are around 600,000 citizens confined to wheelchair mobility. Frequently they find that their handicapped parking space, or that the surrounding separation area has been blocked, and they are rendered helpless. In the search for a solution to this distress ParkVision has developed a loT-based system that identifies blocking vehicles in real time. The system is installed on the side or back of the handicapped vehicle and is connected to an application that alerts the vehicle owner informing of the blocking car. The system recognizes the blocking car license plate in real time and thereby assists in locating the owner of the blocking car.
When identifying the blockage, the system cautions the blocking driver through a loudspeaker system: “You are blocking a handicapped vehicle”. In event of prolonged blocking, the device will continue to caution the surroundings every 30 seconds, so that passers-by will also notice something is wrong and will be able to assist in locating the driver of the blocking vehicle or call the police.
The brains behind the development of this innovative system are those of Noy Nir, 24, a resident of Gan Yavne, and Ilan Kroiter, a resident of Ashdod, both graduates of the software engineering faculty at the Ashdod Campus. The system they developed under the guidance of Benny Zand, a member of the faculty staff, was the outstanding project of the faculty’s graduation projects.
“Our friend, Idan Fadloon, a student at the faculty, has cerebral palsy, and is frequently confronted by this problem. That is how the idea was born, with the objective of raising awareness to the wrongful phenomenon of blocking handicapped parking”, says Nir. “This phenomenon causes great discomfort and is in fact a felony. We were looking for a way to enable handicapped persons, like Idan, to protect themselves from such blockages. Using our system, a handicapped person will know in real time what is happening and can decide what to do about it, whether to call the police, go the vehicle, etc.”
Kroiter: “The application documents the blocking events in its ‘history’ so the user can track them. In addition, there are several application user definitions, such as: control of the system volume and ability to shut-off smartphone alerts, should the user wish to”.
Kroiter and Nir summarize: “We hope that ParkVision will contribute to stopping the phenomenon of blocking handicapped parking separation areas and will raise awareness in the general population. We also hope that the community of special needs persons will use our product, and that ParkVision will contribute to improving their quality of life”.
Head of the Faculty, Dr. Marina Kniazhensky: “This is a vital system with huge social importance and potential, that can improve the quality of life for special needs persons. The multi-disciplinary training we provide our students in the Software Engineering Faculty and in general at the college, provide them with a significant advantage in planning and developing products and solutions that benefit the public”.
