A Tokyo-based university in Japan tested a system that uses sensors to determine congestion by building to help visitors move around a campus festival. It counts people by detecting pressure generated when someone steps on a mat and provides real-time congestion information to visitors.

On Nov. 9, Japan's ITmedia reported that Ochanomizu University conducted a pilot test to visualise congestion at the 77th Kionsai campus festival held on Nov. 7 on its campus in Tokyo's Bunkyo district.

The university's Faculty of Co-Creation Engineering and the Next Generation Sensor Council and others jointly pushed the trial. They installed sheet-type pressure sensors under floor mats at 3 locations on campus, including an entrance to a lecture building. When visitors passed through and stepped on the mats, the sensors detected changes in pressure and were used to count the number of people inside the building.

The collected information was provided for viewing on smartphones and PCs. Visitors could check how crowded a particular place was and choose their route. The system aims to reduce situations in which people flock to crowded areas at once.

Students planned the project themselves over about 6 months. They sought a way to address crowding problems at the festival and applied technology learned in classes to an actual event.

The Faculty of Co-Creation Engineering that took part in the trial was established in 2024. It aims to provide education that combines engineering and data science with knowledge in the humanities and social sciences to solve social problems. The trial was also meaningful in that it used sensor technology to reduce inconvenience on site.

An instructor at the faculty said, "Students are finding problems on their own and using what they learned in class as solutions." The instructor added, "Enjoyment is important to continue learning," and said, "I hope they will carry this experience with them even after they enter society."

No quantitative results were disclosed on how much actual congestion fell through the pilot test. As it is a stage of confirming the feasibility of applying the technology on site, additional verification is needed for its congestion-relief effect.