Digital Kiosks Show Up In Japan [Webcams and Video Add Up To Amazing Signage from NTT]

Posted on TFTS by Steve Anderson on Tuesday, 24. August 2010 under: Audio,Visual, Cameras & Camcorders, Computers & Computing, Devices

The folks out at NTT have brought us an exciting new advance in digital signage, especially if they go as far with it as they could. Of course, if they go that far, it could get downright dangerous, too. But for now, NTT has taken webcams and networking to make digital signage that’s incredibly useful.

The idea behind this particular sign is that it uses that webcam to see how many people are approaching it. It can then access an internal network to start displaying ads for restaurants that currently have seating sufficient for the number of people that it “sees” standing at it.

This by itself is a pretty good move, incorporating cameras and a limited database to determine restaurant possibilities based on the number of people standing in front of it. But I’d like to see it go farther, in all honesty–include, for example, the ability to make reservations for the restaurant you want from the kiosk. After all, what good does it do to know there are two seats available only to discover them gone by the time you get there? Even better, I’d like to place a meal order with the reservations, such that, when you arrive, your dinner of choice is waiting for you.

Of course, if it goes too much farther, you get into Minority Report territory, and no one wants that. Except maybe advertisers.

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