Advertisement

Sydney gets world's first e-ink traffic signs

Sydney is now using the world's first outdoor e-ink traffic signs to guide motorists during special events. The city's Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) agency was apparently fed up with the constant chore of changing signs, and developed the tech with a company called Visionect. Like your Kindle, the signs are easy to read in Sydney's bright sunshine, which also powers it via solar panels. There's a light for nighttime usage, and the messages can be updated remotely via a cell connection to an "internet of things" network.

Sydney's tech is pretty basic, but e-ink holds enormous potential for signage. We'll no doubt see fancier outdoor displays one day, but for now the city's just hoping to save some money -- Los Angeles spends up to $9.5 million putting up temporary parking restriction signs, for instance. The group also developed anti-tampering and location detection tech, because you just know that someone's going to try to steal or hack them.