The material shown in the photo contains piezoelectric nanowires which, when flexed can produce enough power to drive an LCD.

When we first produced our Living Art magazine for Outside (vid below), we envisioned a future where magazines and other media were published and distributed on recyclable, flexible OLED devices which would cost about the same as a hardcopy magazine today. Imagine something about size of a sheet of paper, and the thickness of a laminated menu, that you can purchase on your way to work and use as long as you like. Nanogenerators like this may be the technology that powers such a device.

Our belief is that once portable media is freed from the constrains of the proprietary device like a smartphone or tablet, the barriers to access this media become low enough to make the medium near ubiquitous. So naturally we are excited to see little advancements like this emerge. If you’re looking forward to someday curling up with a flexible digital magazine that you can afford to loose on the train, this is definitely technology to keep your eye on.

“Now researchers at Georgia Tech have made the first nanowire-based generators that can harvest sufficient mechanical energy to power small devices, including light-emitting diodes and a liquid-crystal display.” [Technology Review]

Motion Posters (beware the voices):

Pics:

The winning entry (above) was a spot for British Airways that displayed a women in her bikini, sitting leisurely on the beach through a live webcam. People passing by were invited to guess where this webcam was located through twitter. These tweets were displayed at the bottom of the screen in a CNN-style ticker. One of the judges stated he liked “the fact that there was subtle movement of said bikini lady in the webcam usage – pretty much a ‘true’ animated poster in my eyes”.

Subtly can be a powerful thing, particularly with out of home advertising..  a medium that was traditionally designed for print. It seems some of the contestants are starting to understand how to create content for the digital billboard. The second place was a bit less subtle.

Unfortunately another specimen using assets from a movie trailer and repurposing it for the billboard. Not so subtle..Quick cut montage may work for TV, but for out of home advertising it is distracting at best. Like the abominable The Last Exorcism motion poster, it does little more than to contribute to the collective visual noise. Again, to beat the drum.. if this medium is to thrive, it has to have a reason to exist.

Pics:

Ocean Outdoor, a UK based digital out of home company, is giving YOU the chance to win a ad campaign worth £250,000 (approximately $390,000). Oh ya, and also two flights to San Francisco, which is a huge deal if you live in the UK (sorry SF residents).

The contest will be judged by the consumer (London guests will be asked to vote via Twitter) and by a panel of “5 media, advertising and creative experts”. Entries will be posted live and must be submitted by Monday, September 27th at 9am.

Ocean has ownership of some prime digital billboards and other signage spread throughout England. Check out the contest page here for specifics because there are many different types of billboards to really display some creative Living Art including interactive opportunities. So go ahead, submit your content, and show jolly ol’ England how we DOOH it! We are also trying to contact Ocean Outdoor to find out more specifics on the contest such as if US Residents are allowed to apply. We will keep you updated.

Check it out details here

via DailyDOOH

Meet the Glass Infrastructure. An open social information network comprised of 30 touch screens placed throughout the MIT Media Lab. Its purpose is to create an augmented media experience that helps visitors, students, faculty, and even the janitors, to access information and multimedia from the 130 or so projects going on in the building at any particular time. Also, like IBM’s future digital billboards, these screens will also have the ability to scan RFID badges on any building visitor if they come within 5-10 feet of the screen. This will allow automatic log in and will display the person’s personal portfolio.

MIT Media Lab RFID Badge

Each screen will give incentive to visitors to interact and explore the projects throughout the building. When a visitor logs in, he or she can view what projects are closest by proximity or by previous interest that the computer keeps in your profile. The network also encourages users to socialize and talk. More then one person can log in at the same time to promote discussion, exchange information on projects, and collect each others information. To further provide a social experience, there is a “Leader board” displayed across two large screens that displays a live news feed of the Glass Infrastructure.

via Digital Signage Today
pics via curiouslee’s Flickr

Pictures below….

Pictures:

VR/URBAN have created a hand held digital slingshot that fires text message graffiti onto buildings.  These self-proclaimed “public media interventionistas”, created the SMSlingshot- a wooden device that would make Dennis the Menace proud- equipped with an ultra-high frequency radio, hacked arduino board, laser, and batteries. The aspiring digital vandal types a text message on the keypad,  aims the slingshot at a projection (in this case, on a building), and boom, the message appears with a splat.

Their broader vision is far more compelling than this crude demonstration. Their wish is to reclaim the urban space and give the people tools for occupying the screens, sighting the need for these “intervention devices” as an answer to the rise of increased commercial digital advertising screens. Sort of a high-tech digital can of spray paint.

“People shall not only remain as a passive audience, they must obtain the privilege and besides that, the right tools to create their own multimedia content in the streets.”

via Gizmodo and VR/URBAN

Video:

“John Anderton, You Could use a Guinness right about now.”

We’ve already reported that Yahoo Japan is creating digital billboards with eye scanners, but IBM is taking a different approach to what seems like a Minority Report future to track and deliver a personalized advertisement using RFID chips.

IBM plans on using the RFIDs found in objects you are carrying, like your credit cards and cell phone to deliver a personalized advertisement catered directly to your needs or interests. Using this method over facial recognition or eye scanning enables the billboard deliver an advertisement that is more specific to the individual.

Some RFIDs are only 1/3 of a millimeter across.

RFID chips are these tiny microchips that are always listening for a radio signal sent by some sort of transceiver. Once received, they transmit data back such as name, address, gender and shopping habits (ca-reepy). Most of these chips don’t even require batteries because the radio signal that they receive is actually their power source. These chips are already being used in toll booth EZPasses, credit cards, cell phones and yes even Mittens the cat (this is also the technology that people are using to track their pets).

via: Telegraph.co.uk

For more information including the ethics of RFIDs check out the RFID Journal.

Interactive ad company Inwindow Outdoor, is using touchscreens, motion reactive screens, and augmented reality to bring interactivity to their ads. Recently, they have released an installation for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (video above) that lets users interact with objects placed throughout a room using augmented reality. Yes, you can even make fireballs or sweep a room with brooms, which is probably less exciting.

Another example from Inwindow includes a Coraline installation (video below) that has a hidden digital portrait with the words “help us” written in frost. When a person walks by or uses their hands, the frost is cleared away using gesture-based technology to reveal a living portrait of captured characters.

Hat tip to DailyDOOH

Screenshots:

Very cool interactive design project by Karolina Sobecka and Jim George.
Via Gravitytrap.
As you walk down the street you are approached by a dog. He is on his guard trying to discern your intentions. He will follow you and interpret your gestures as friendly or aggressive. He will try to engage you in a relationship and get you to pay attention to him.