Buses are wising up to passengers. They can tell how many seats are available. So I discovered coming down from the upper deck of a doubledecker bus. As I waited at the door for the bus to stop, I cast a backward glance and saw a display panel on the stairwell. Seats available: 46, it said. Then another passenger came down from the upper deck. The display changed to Seats available: 47. The panel was keeping count of the empty seats.
I wondered how it did it. Did we set off a sensor as we got up from our seats? Was it hidden under the floorboard where our feet rested? Or was it a thermometer-like thingy which warmed up when our bums rested on the seats and cooled off when we got up? Maybe it’s not turned on by heat but susceptible to pressure or weight-conscious.
Whatever the mystery behind the seat-calculator, it’s pretty cool and useful. It saves you a trip to the upper deck if there are no seats to be had.
Tuesday, February 8, 2005 By
