What is iPavement?

These iPavement slabs from Spanish company Vía Inteligente may look like ordinary paving stones, but the underside conceals Wi-fi and Bluetooth antennas, creating mini-hotspots for passersby.

The smart paving slabs each pack their own Viacities OS, along with localised apps that serve up promotional messages and discount coupons for surrounding stores. More usefully, they also send out traffic notifications and emergency alerts. The Analytical iPavement app lets city authorities dial up statistics for each iPavement slab, including pedestrian traffic and Wi-Fi usage.

The iPavement slabs certainly have some interesting applications – in the future, they could even be laid along roads and motorways, giving all road users the chance to use Wi-Fi on the move. Now that's what we call an information superhighway!