Street Smart – A Sign of Things to Come

What will be on the streets of the future? Pedestrians in USA and Japan may soon see a new generation of street signs providing more than just maps and directions. USA – Pointing Pedestrians to the Latest & CoolestPoints the brainchild of a group called Breakfast, is a standard looking street sign with ordinary directional arms that will not normally turn heads. Upon closer inspection however, this intelligent street sign has arms which move, directions which change and menu options which vary according to the time of the day. Points can be connected to the web and has the ability to obtain content from Foursquare, Twitter and other online sources, enabling it to provide the most dynamic and updated information for passers-by.   Japan – Smart Panels to Save the Day On the other side of the world, MCDecaux has recently devised a prototype panel which will provide information such as weather and time on a typical day. But should a natural disaster strike, the panel will morph immediately into a beacon of light and information. This smart unit contains an embedded boom box which will broadcast warnings, as well as provide crucial services such as free wi-fi and downloadable maps displaying locations of evacuation areas. What kind of services would you like to see on the streets of tomorrow?