‘Smart’ Street Sign Uses Social Media to Direct Passersby

A new high-tech street sign developed by a New York-based creative agency is designed to do more than provide static wayfinding — it’s designed to be dynamic and interactive. This sign, which is called Points, features three digital arms that can rotate 360 degrees in the direction of popular destinations, events and more based on the category a user punches into a menu, the device’s website shows.

The nine-foot-tall street sign took three years to develop and uses 16,000 LED lights in its arm displays. Breakfast, the agency who invented the sign, is hoping Points is the “street sign of the future,” according to Yahoo News.

A Street Sign Connected to the Internet

Since Points is connected to the web at all times, the information displayed on its sleek, directional arms can change based on the time of day and the way a user interacts with the device. In the morning, for instance, the street sign could point to local transit stations or coffee shops and reveal the day’s weather forecast, while in the evening, it could point out places with good happy hours or cool local happenings like sporting events and concerts.

When a user interacts with Points, the street sign automatically pulls information from RSS feeds, local data APIs or social media sites like Twitter and Foursquare to point people to interesting restaurants and tourist destinations, or update people on the latest local and global news.

What Happens If It Rains?

While the digital street sign currently shows promise for indoor use, Points is not entirely weatherproof, which limits its outdoor use, Yahoo News explained. However, the agency that created Points hopes to make a fully weatherized version available so that the sign can function on public street corners.

What Do You Think About Digital Street Signs?

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(Image via BreakfastNY.com)