Safety alerting lights, surfaces that nudge you to wash hands after contact can create new solutions in a post-Covid world

By Dr. Anupama Wagh-Koppar

Covid-19 has interrupted our best-laid plans, and we have reacted with fervor. It has got us to write, discuss, debate and deliberate to our full capacity. This time is deeply transformational and thought-provoking, especially for people who are passionate about innovation.

Japan is impressive when it comes to safety innovation initiatives, as it modifies behaviour with ‘nudge techniques’. An example being of the theme music played out before train doors close, so people intuitively know the rhyme ends soon and there isn’t enough time to make a dash to board, avoiding accidents. Another life-saving intervention is the soothing blue light at the end of a train station to reduce the rate of suicides. Blue light is said to effect the state of mind, sweeping over a calm feeling, reducing suicide impulse. This has brought down suicide rates in the country.


In times of Covid-19, we are already seeing innovations to sanitise surfaces you are likely to touch. In terms of practices, sanitisers are placed at strategic locations to encourage usage. In terms of products, an interesting example I came across is a sanitising cylinder for everyday things like mobile phones, currency etc.

I want to share thoughts on some innovative solutions, in the area of tactile safety interventions, as ‘Touch’ is an important sensory. When my two-year-old daughter saw snow for the first time, she refused to get down and walk, as it was a ground that she had not seen or felt before. And I have a vivid memory of her cautiously walking from normal ground to snow-covered space and touching snow with her little hands and figuring it was cold, harmless and felt fun. After that, she was not afraid. The ability to touch imparts confidence and a sense of control.

Surface-proofing
While people are overly cautious today, over time they will lower their guard. A surface may seem clean to the naked eye but probably is contaminated and it is easy to forget to exercise caution. A visual cue to prompt people if a surface is clean will alert them on time, especially in public places like escalators, handles, railings etc. What if we had ‘Safety alerting lights’? A light strip that changes colour after sanitising, maybe it turns red after a recommended exposure time. When you see the light blink red, you avoid touching the surface or sanitise your hands right after contact.

When we speak about tactile intervention, technology has made significant advances. Haptics, a technology that creates an experience of touch, is used extensively in gaming and simulation. Imagine if a surface touches you back, and nudges to wash hands/sanitise post-contact, it could be a very effective feature, something that I would like to call ‘Mom nudge’. Tactile sensations through haptics can use vibrations, pressure and temperature for nudging, certainly an area worth exploring for wider applications.

Safety training with haptic feedback through a simulation game would be useful. It will encourage contact awareness by capturing and mapping contact moments in different situations. Analysing touching patterns will help mark out avoidable vs necessary contact surfaces. We can design interventions to encourage or discourage contact accordingly. This would be useful for public spaces and work places where large numbers of people work at close quarters and handle materials.

‘Touch’ safety solutions will modify behaviours, reduce touch anxiety and improve the quality of life post-Covid.

- Dr. Anupama Wagh-Koppar is presently based in Tokyo, with L’Oréal Nihon, Research & Innovation as an Innovation director for Hair métier –Asia. She is passionate about innovation & design thinking. Having worked in strategic planning, brand strategy and insights across diverse industries such as FMCG, healthcare and lifestyle products, she has the ability to cross-pollinate her learning. Japan, a country known for its innovation, has further fueled her passion for innovation. The views and ideas in this article are her personal work, and do not borrow or use any confidential information from the company.