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31 Mar, 2014

Computer Graphic Simulation Shows What Happens When Texting While Walking

TOKYO–()–March 28, 2014 – NTT DOCOMO, INC, as part of its initiative to prevent accidents from Texting While Walking (staring at the smartphone screen while walking) and to improve manners, has released the video “What if everyone was Texting While Walking at Shibuya Crossing?,” which is a simulation using computer graphics, on the YouTube DOCOMO official channel.

The widespread use of smartphones has resulted in an annual increase in the number of accidents caused by Texting While Walking, and this has become a social problem that has been widely covered by the media and other sources. As a part of its activities to increase awareness for preventing Texting While Walking, docomo has created a verification computer graphic video of approximately 1,500 people at Shibuya Crossing, which is one of the crossings with the greatest traffic in Japan, as they are Texting While Walking.

A computer simulation was used for verification in creating the video, and practical conditions such as the height, weight, walking speed, and field of view for both normal walking and text walking of the pedestrians*, were incorporated into the program.

This is a computer graphic video that replicates approximately 1,500 people Texting While Walking. What would the result will be?

Everyone walking while texting at Shibuya Crossing.

docomo continues to undertake various educational activities to prevent Texting While Walking, including websites and advertising, a Mobile Phone Safety Class, and a Texting While Walking Prevention Function for smartphones. We will continue to strive to build an environment where our customers can use their smartphones in a safer and more secure manner.

YouTube DOCOMO Official Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/docomoOfficial

*Based on the research results of Professor Kazuhiro Kozuka, Department of Media Informatics, Aichi University of Technology.

For more information contact:

NTT DOCOMO PR Secretariat (c/o Green romp)

In charge: Takahiro Noda

TEL: +81-3-6380-4694

MAIL: pr@green-romp.com