In Germany, an ambulance should arrive within 8 minutes after an emergency call. But this has changed dramatically. Every second emergency response is delayed.With the omnipresence of smartphones, onlookers have become a huge issue. These “civilian paparazzi” take photos of victims and impede life-saving rescue operations with their sensationalism. Although it became a criminal offense in January 2021, action is rarely taken against ruthless onlookers.Our idea: Turning smartphones from problem boosters into problem solvers. We have developed an innovative digital pattern, that functions like a camouflaged QR code, to trick smartphone cameras.When an onlooker tries to capture a rescue operation with his smartphone, a message will pop up on the display - confronting the onlooker with his wrongdoing and educating him about proper behavior at accident scenes.
Philosophy
We made smartphones, which are the cause of the problem, into the solution. Together with one of Germany's biggest rescue organizations, the Johanniter Unfall-Hilfe, we developed the Anti-Look. An innovative digital pattern based on the latest multi-angle QR-technology, covering ambulance vehicles, paramedics, and equipment, to trick every smartphone camera on the market. When a smartphone is being pointed at a rescue operation, a message will pop up on the display - confronting onlookers with their wrongdoing and directing their attention away from the accident.
Problem
Germany used to be known for having the fastest emergency response times. By law, an ambulance should arrive no later than eight minutes after an emergency call. But this has changed dramatically. Every second emergency response is delayed. With the omnipresence of smartphones, gawking has become a huge issue. Gawkers take photos of victims and impede life-saving rescue operations with their morbid curiosity. Although it became a criminal offense in January 2021, action is rarely taken against gawking.
Result
We created something that tackles a big societal problem. Creating a media impact for the topic and increasing people's awareness of the dangers of gawking. We initiated the process that all Johanniter ambulances throughout Germany should be equipped with our design. By using the technology, paramedics can devote important resources in rescue operations to the lives of patients, instead of dealing with gawkers.