Giant public tablets, which many call "selfie machines" or "public cameras," are not only for making photos, but also optimize the urban mobility and provide people with useful information.
These unusual devices are part of is an interactive urban information system called TOMI. Sputnik Brazil spoke to a representative of the Portuguese technology company TomiWorld, the maker of giant tablets.
“TOMI is designed to provide relevant and up-to-date information to everyone, every day, in the right place and at the right time,” a company representative told Sputnik.
This information includes local news, what's going on and public transport options. TOMI also offers the general public city initiatives, such as from energy efficiency, the improvement of urban mobility and pollution reduction.
According to the company, TOMI has already been nominated for the ‘Product of the Year’ prize of The European Digital Communication Awards, and Worldwide Technical Innovation Award, the highest international award for innovations in the sphere of outdoor advertising.
He said that TOMI's implementation rollout in Rio de Janeiro was successful, as surprised passers-by wanted to try the giant tablet and enjoyed using it.
“We wanted TOMI to be user friendly and easy for people of all ages to interact with it, and we succeeded,” the company’s representative said.
The device is weather- and vandal-proof. The company says it also has a high level of personal data security.
“We protect any data inputted into TOMI, either by sharing content via email or by purchasing products via online payments systems,” the representative said.
TOMI already spans about half of Portugal. This year was it was introduced in Rio de Janeiro, and its developers have ambitious plans of making ‘smarter’ cities in Brazil and Latin America, as well as in North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
