The simple cut-outs are designed to avoid walkers crashing into one another. There are many applications, from underground public transit tunnels, to hallway corners, to street corners.

Essentially, urban planners need to take a slice out of their concrete corner about 5-6 feet from the floor/ground. You could fill this with glass, put glass on the exterior (in an L-shape), or leave it empty.

But the point is -- you should be able to see someone coming. Mirrors are used in some places, but cut-outs would be easier.
-- toomuchmike, Jan 30 2004

I like the idea, but I forsee a problem with load-bearing walls.
-- krelnik, Jan 30 2004


I find that carrying a pitchfork with me -- and sticking it around the corner just before I turn -- works quite well.
-- phundug, Jan 30 2004


Construction-wise it seems like it would be easier to use 2 45 degree corners set back an appropriate distance. How deep does the cutout need to be? I suppose that depends on how fast people walk, how fast they react and how rapidly their masses can be decelerated.
-- half, Jan 30 2004


I guess the easiest explanation is to envision the corner of a wall being constructed out of triangular layers (like flat Lego pieces). You take a few out near the average person's eye level so that a 3-5" gap is created.

Q: Well, then why not just cut the wall off and make a rounded corner?

A: Well, I don't know. It's half-baked, that's why it's here. Anyway, you could make it a rather large triangle, like a couple feet from the corner on each side, and put a steel rod or something at the corner to assuage load-bearing fears (which are legitimate).
-- toomuchmike, Feb 04 2004


Actually, you could use a steel gridwork filled with those 'decorative' glass blocks without too much structural risk, I think...
-- WhiteDove01s, Jul 13 2004


Just have virtual cut-outs. In public places, put plexiglas protected giant monitors on the walls of high-traffic corners (right where you'd like the cut-outs to be) which show the image from around the corner, using an adjacent ceiling-hung camera.
-- Soterios, May 03 2005


why not have a 1" square plexiglass rod that adheres to the corner, then you can see rough images of movement around the forner warning you.

or just approach corners at a reasonable velocity and dont sneak around the corner like an Office Ninja, keep a respectable distance of 3-5 feet.

or how about electronic eyes at foot level that shows a green light or red light to those around the corner letting them know someone is coming
-- Arcanus, Nov 15 2008


It would also effect the building occupants that need the space on the inside of their buildings!

Monitors are a great idea, but we need to get the prices down and they need to be much more rugged. ... We have used traffic lights for many things over the years. They would work well here too. Just green and yellow, lord knows we will never stop for anyone else!
-- servant74, Oct 05 2010


One could have a strong rectangular piece of glass protruding from the corner. People who advance to quickly will run into the glass. People wo walk at a moderate pace will see the glass and avoid it, and also see the reflection of oncoming people.

Each side would have a dry erase marker hanging from it, so people who whack into it from the other side can quickly have a beard and long eyelashes added to the glass (by passing Bad Samaritans) opposite their flattened face.
-- bungston, Oct 05 2010


Great idea that could look cool from an architectural design standpoint as well.
-- doctorremulac3, Oct 05 2010


Surely there's a simpler solution.

Corners only happen because two corridors, running in orthogonal directions, meet one another at the same point.

If they met at different points, there would be no problem and no corner.
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Oct 05 2010


So if you installed a neutron star behind the walls, would it bend space time enough that you could see round the corner?
-- pocmloc, Oct 05 2010


What you need is a fourth dimension. So the corridors coincide in the ordinary three spatial dimensions, but not in the fourth. For example: two people walk along two intersecting corridors toward the intersection, but don't collide because one is at 9:00 am and the other at 11:00 am. If M theory is correct, you can have 8 people converging an 8- way intersection, and no collision (provided the people are very small).
-- mouseposture, Oct 05 2010


[mouse] (May I call you that?) We already have a fourth dimension (probably baked right here), the very one you named, Time; meaning there is never a conflict when people meet at different times. I know you know this, I'm just saying....

[Max] has suggested that corridors meeting--that is, converging--at *different* points might just alleviate this whole mess all at once. He might be on (to) something.
-- Boomershine, Oct 06 2010


//Surely there's a simpler solution.//

[marked-for-tagline]?
-- bnip, Oct 07 2010


I was going to post "Look Where You're Bloody Going" as a seperate idea, but it would probably be shot down as advocacy, WKTE, etc.

Still, I'd like to suggest the "Look Where You're Bloody Going" philosophy as a possible solution to the perceived issue.
-- Twizz, Oct 07 2010


//Look Where You're Bloody Going// Inefficient. It's enough if *you* look where you're going; that way I can reserve my attention for important Thinking, Cellphone Yapping, Gum- Chewing, etc.
-- mouseposture, Oct 07 2010



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