Electric Signpost Points Toward Future Of Street Signs

Ever been lost in a new city, or just needed to kill some time but had no idea where to go? Perhaps Points could help, erm, "point" the way.

Points is the brainchild of New York-based technology company Breakfast Products, who are known for developing - among other things -  the Instaprint photobooth and Conan O'Brien's blimp.

It works by using three reconfigurable LED displays to show the direction and distance to nearby events, activities, landmarks and transport, and is controlled by a simple five-button panel. 

Depending on which button the user presses ("Sports" for example), the three arms then swivel and point to three nearby sporting events, each displaying the name of the event, the distance and even the score. 

The location-based data that Points taps into is updated via the internet, which means the information it displays is dynamic and changes according to what's happening in the vicinity. It can even feed off social media like Twitter and Foursquare to show what's currently trending in the surrounding area.

The reconfigurable nature of Points means it's adaptable to a number of different environments. Beyond the obvious tourism-related uses, it could be employed to help orient people at trade shows or in large airports, or simply tell you which bands are playing where at a music festival.

Its usefulness for motorists is probably pretty limited for now, but if the Points concept takes off then it could take the humble signpost to  new high-tech heights.