Nara Prefectural Police Introduced “Hari-bote (papier-mache) Orbis” with a “strobe part made of a cup noodle container” – Is it effective?

From a distance, it looks just like the real thing.

The LSM-300 portable Orbis systems are expensive, costing about 11 million yen each, and there are only three of them in the whole of Nara Prefecture. The opportunity to use one is available only once every two to three months at ……. One police station is overcoming this predicament with an unusual idea. The photo above shows the “Haribote Orbis,” a new weapon introduced by the Yoshino Police Station of the Nara Prefectural Police. An official in charge of the traffic division explains.

Two young members of the department came up with the idea of using a dummy to achieve the speed suppression effect of a portable Orbis, and one of the proposers spent three months to build it. One of the proposers spent three months building the dummy. The cost was zero yen because the body was made by laminating cardboard found at the station. Incidentally, the strobe part was made from an empty cup noodle container painted black.”

According to the Yoshino Police Department, residents in the vicinity of the station where the HARIBOTE Orbis was installed have reported that the speed of passing vehicles has decreased.

Mr. Katsumi Osuga, representative of Pasoya, Inc., which operates the information website “Orbis Guide,” also gives a certain evaluation of the system.

Drivers will step on the brake if they see what they think is an ORBIS, so it will help to control speed,” he said. The drawback is that the actual speed cannot be measured, so it is impossible to issue a ticket.

Although other police departments have yet to follow suit, the Yoshino Police Department is proud to say that the system is expected to prevent traffic accidents. While it may be a mere piece of paper, is the effect “real”?

From the December 22, 2023 issue of FRIDAY