Get ready for the future, Houston, because the robots are here. The IKE has hit the streets of Houston for residents’ navigational, video game, and selfie needs.
Located at Walker and Avenida De Las Americas is the new Interactive Kiosk Experience. If you’ve traveled a bit around the US or internationally, you might have seen similar devices planted in downtown city streets, subway stations, and/or airports.
Used primarily as digital ad space – where it generates revenue – the IKEs acts similar to a maps application on a smart phone. Through its interactive touch-screen menu, users can search nearby restaurants – sub-divided into a variety of types – as well as bars, shopping, arts & culture, entertainment, civic resources, job boards, and more. Once the user selects their information, the IKE will yield a number of different establishments displaying their rating as well as the distance.
In addition to its use as a directory, the IKE additionally features surveys, games, and serves as a photo booth, wherein which users can take a self-portrait in front of the screen. After which, the IKE will reportedly send the photo to the user’s phone.
The IKE at Walker and Avenida de Las Americas is the first of a wave of 75 units, although more are planned following the initial installation. To celebrate the inaugural digital directory, Mayor Sylvester Turner cut the ribbon at a small ceremony held this past Monday. According to click2houston, the kiosks were provided for outside of tax-payer money.