In this town on the outskirts of Madrid, the safety of a pedestrian relies entirely on the driver’s attention—a fragile bond that Jesús Hernández Galán and his team at Fundación ONCE are working to strengthen. To address the inherent risk of a signal-free city, they have installed a series of unassuming beacons at the edge of the zebra stripes. These devices, part of the Proyecto WALKERPISA, do not wait for a button to be pressed; they watch the road themselves.
The system employs LiDAR sensors, technology more commonly found in aerospace and defense sectors. These sensors emit pulsed light waves that measure the exact velocity and distance of oncoming vehicles with mathematical certainty. Unlike standard traffic cameras, which can be blinded by the glare of the afternoon sun or the blur of heavy rain, these beacons remain indifferent to the weather, calculating the intent of every approaching bumper in real time.
When the sensors detect a vehicle that shows no sign of slowing, the beacon acts as a surrogate sense. For those who are blind, it provides an auditory cue; for those who are deaf, a visual alert; and for those with intellectual disabilities, a clear, simplified signal of danger. It is an attempt to translate the chaotic speed of the street into a language of safety that everyone can interpret.
The ten-week pilot, supported by Las Rozas Innova, uses a digital twin to track every interaction, ensuring the technology serves the person rather than the other way around. By bringing industrial precision to the humble crosswalk, the project seeks to ensure that the freedom to move through the city is not a privilege of the able-bodied, but a right protected by the very pavement beneath their feet.