Sidewalk pavement stones offer Bluetooth and wifi

A sidewalk pavement stone that serves as a WiFi hotspot with Bluetooth connectivity.

We’ve already seen sidewalks used to capture the energy of pedestrians’ footsteps, so it doesn’t seem all that far-fetched to see them emitting power as well. Sure enough, iPavement is a sidewalk pavement stone that serves as a wifi hotspot with Bluetooth connectivity. Made of calcium carbonate, each iPavement stone weighs 25kg and measures 40x40x7 cm. Available in either a classic smooth or a corrugated finish, the stones are the brain child of Spanish Vía Inteligente, which will start to manufacture them this summer. Offering 802.11 b/g wifi and Bluetooth 2.1, the stones each offer broadcast coverage of between 350 and 580 square meters, depending on their surroundings; Via Inteligente recommends a linear distance of 20 meters between them, with pavement continuity in between to ensure propagation. Included with the stones, moreover, is a built-in Linux-compatible operating system, along with apps, offering access to maps, coupons, virtual libraries, and a wide array of local information. Available in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese, iPavement operates at temperatures ranging from -30C to 75C. There’s virtually no end to consumers’ desire for online access anywhere/anytime, and we’ve also seen Italian phone booths repurposed to answer that call. How can your brand take advantage of these new technologies and gain favor with the public by making them more readily available?