Ride.Link

Wearable media for social sustainability

Social sustainability, Mobile experience, Wearable
Brescia (IT) / MIT, September - December 2008

New forms of social and civic engagement emerge, leading to greater environmental and social sustainability. An open question is how institutions and citizens can use technology to better trust one another. Ridelink project explores these opportunities by allowing young people to self-organize into ridesharing pools using wearable, networked, breathalyzer bracelets.

Brief / Concept

Trends toward embedding Wi-Fi connected electronics into the urban fabric blur the line between real and virtual worlds. New forms of social and civic engagement can emerge, leading to greater environmental and social sustainability. An emerging question is how institutions and citizens can use technology to better trust one another. The Ridelink project explores these opportunities by allowing young people to self-organize into ridesharing pools using wearable, networked, breathalyzer bracelets.

Design Process

The main goal of Ride.link, the project's name, is to strengthen the trust between social groups and institutions and provide the infrastructure for sustainable social practices. With its main components of social networking, reputation management and referrals system, the system facilitates the matching of a group of designated drivers with their friends who need a safe ride back home if they consume alcohol and are unable to drive themselves. By rewarding the participants, both drinkers and drivers, accordingly, the Provincia di Brescia facilitates an incentive program to continue the youth using the system. As a sustainable practice, the system not only intends to raise awareness on the "driving under the influence of alcohol problem" but also suggests the preventive measures that will allow the youth communally respond to this everyday problem.

First in vivo test has happened in Brescia in December 2008 and January 2009 with 50 bracelets.