What are the Strange Metal Plates at Missouri Intersections For?

I've seen so many of these, but never really gave any thought about why they were there. Have you ever wondered what the strange metal plates at Missouri intersections are for? I learned that they could save a life.

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My wondering began when I saw this interesting conversation on the Missouri sub-Reddit. It shows the metal plate that all of us probably have walked across a million times. This is the one at a cross-street in Arnold, Missouri.

What are these called on MoDot sidewalks
byu/STEVEN-NEVETS inmissouri

They're called detectable warning plates and they are in place for the vision-impaired among us. Mainline Materials, a warning plate manufacturing company says "they alert the visually impaired that there is either a crosswalk or a walkway transition nearby".

These simple yet affective plates are more than just a warning device for the blind. New technology now has some of these plates which will even provide directions in some cases. Some are even different colors to warn of a traffic change or upcoming obstacle.

The practical side of these plates is they are replaceable in some cases in the event that a road or cross-walk changes. What may look like a simple grip plate to keep pedestrians from slipping into busy traffic is actually a life and death tool for the visually impaired - especially those that travel without the assistance of a guide dog.