They are outdated, and the cause of 20 incidents a day in the UK. Architectural firm Umbrellium reckons it's got a solution: a sensor-packed digital crossing that responds to your movements. "We've been designing a pedestrian crossing for the 21st century," says Usman Haque, Umbrellium's founding partner. "Crossings that you know were designed in the 1950s, when there was a different type of city and interaction." This smart crossing doesn't just look more modern than the 60 years old versions; it uses machine learning to make the crossings safer.

A high-tech pedestrian crossing that monitors and reacts to cars, people and cyclists has been developed. The Starling (STigmergic Adaptive Responsive LearnING) Crossing, created by Umbrellium, is designed to make roads safer for pedestrians. The road surface at the crossing is embedded with LEDs that are bright enough to attract the attention and "fill their field of vision" of pedestrians that might be distracted by their smartphone, the company says. These lights are controlled by a computer system, which also analyses footage from cameras that constantly monitor the crossing. Umbrellium says the surface of the crossing will remain slip-free even in heavy rain, and the LEDs are bright enough to be seen clearly during the day, as well as at night.