Billboards that react to passers-by

ELECTRIC billboards at Piccadilly Circus have been replaced by a hi-tech screen that can ‘react’ to those viewing it from the streets below.

Piccadilly Lights, the new centrepiece of the London landmark, is a curved LED screen approximately the size of three tennis courts, which will be able to stream live TV and even offers free wi-fi.

But its most significant feature is how it can tailor what it displays to people, vehicles, and even the weather – thanks to a series of smart cameras built around the huge display.

A spokesman for Land Securities, which owns the Picadilly site, said: ‘The new screen has the ability to react to external factors such as the weather and passing vehicles – though without collecting or storing any personal details.’

Among other technologies, it uses facial recognition to gain an idea of the age, race, and gender of those viewing the screen.

Speaking earlier this year, Tim Bleakley, of Ocean Outdoor, the company in charge of the board’s advertising, said: ‘CocaCola, for example, can log on at any given moment, see a large group of Spanish tourists and change the copy of the ad from “Hello,” to “Buenos Dias”.’

He said the giant smart billboard, which has been undergoing trials this week, is dynamic in that it can constantly change to reflect what is going on around it.

In response to privacy fears, he said the smart billboard ‘did not have the capability’ to collect personal data. ‘We will not be putting out personalised messages on the new Piccadilly Lights ... we don’t hold or record any personalised data of any kind.’