Central Station commuters to get the Blade Runner treatment

Central Station is the testing ground for this project.

The futuristic world shown in sci-fi movies Blade Runner and Minority Report is one step closer to reality for Sydneysiders thanks to a four-year collaborative research project to be undertaken at the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney.

Using Central Station as a test environment, the project aims to develop interactive screen displays situated in the station that can respond to the movements and intentions of passers-by, and then present them with relevant information about their train journey.

"Access to information through digital interventions is a more achievable means of addressing current transport issues than making costly changes to the public transport system," says Martin Tomitsch , a head researcher from the University of Sydney.

The project, which has been funded by the Australian Research Council , also investigates the role of innovative applications for smartphones to increase access to information about public transport services.

"Our vision is to improve existing transport hubs like Central Station by integrating responsive, digital information into the palm of people’s hands," Martin Tomitsch says.

"Smartphones are ubiquitous - we always carry them with us, and they can be very helpful in providing personalised feedback such as information about current real-time train or bus delays," Tomitsch says.

"It’s possible to create context specific, often single-purpose applications that provide a solution to a specific problem," he says.

’What the bus’ is one such application being developed by one of Tomitsch’s research students. Using the application, people can report on characteristics of their bus services while they wait at a stop, including the whereabouts of a bus, how crowded a bus is, and the time it arrives.

Another example is TripStats, an application launched as a prototype last year. Using sensors available in smartphones it provides train commuters with information about their current trip, including the name of the next stop, the time left to the destitination, and information that is currently not accessible, such as the train’s speed.

The research project operates in a field called urban informatics, which uses computing technology to provide real-time feedback to people to assist them in their daily activities in the city such as catching buses and trains.

Such real-time feedback technologies underpin some of the futuristic visions of movies such as Blade Runner and the Minority Report.

The project will be undertaken in partnership with UTS, City of Sydney, Transport NSW, Railcorp, Arup, and Grimshaw Architects.