This article was taken from the August 2012 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Need to browse and stream whilst pounding the pavement? Your smartphone may soon be talking to a smart street.
Madrid-based company Via Inteligente has built the iPavement -- Wi-Fi paving stones that give free internet access to passers-by. "We want to convert analogue cities into digital spaces," says Mario Piattini, scientific adviser to the company.
Each 24kg stone contains a 5GB micro-processor chip, powered by a 1kW underground cable. The operating temperature range for the iPavement's calcium carbonate stones is between -30 degrees and 75 degrees, making it suitable for cold and tropical climates.
As you connect on the fly, a host of cloud-based pop-up apps offers localised information and services on your smartphone. Published through Viacities OS 2.0 -- the company's own operating system -- apps include a digital street library of locally written works, a map pointing out nearby restaurants and attractions, a neighbourhood daily-deals newsletter and a real-time alert system about disrupted public services near the user.
The iPavement is currently being tested in the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid and will appear at the International Building and Construction Show in Dubai in November -- and maybe on a high street near you soon.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
