'Minority Report' digital billboard 'watches consumers shop'

It's unbelievable but it's true! NEC a Japanese electronics company has developed a 'Minortiy Report' styled digital billboard!
What does that billboard exactly do?


Well just like in the movie with Tom Cruise the billboard shows some personal information if you walk by. That’s because there’s a small camera with a flat-panel monitor inside the billboard. It’s a facial-recognition system, called the Next Generation Digital Signage Solution.


So when you pass a billboard like that, it sent your information to a computer and then the billboard shows you your age, your gender, your name,..


But critics warns that it’s not respectable to the privacy and I can believe that there are persons who don’t want to be on those billboards with their name and age.

But what’s not enjoyable for some individuals is useful for the advertisers because they can create more related and appropriated publicities. Because the longer you stay in front of the billboards the more detailed the information will be. So the advertisers will know who is watching the boards and they can change the advertisements.

But the citizens don’t have to be afraid of the information they get, because they may not abuse the information and the person will stay totally anonymous.

Now the project is running in Japan and later this year in America. If it’s successful other countries will follow.

I think it’s a knife that cuts on both sides. Because it’s good for the advertisers because they can make their advertisements more specific and more related to the person who pass the billboard. But as consumer I think it’s not that interesting because other people can see who you are and how old you are. But it’s helpful because the commercials will be more suitable and appropriate to each singular person.

Written by Sofie Lamon (2fv4)
source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7411249/Minority-Report-digital-billboard-watches-consumers-shop.html