The Vestaboard Is an Airport Departure Board for Your Living Room

Digital display technology has pretty much replaced the need for those old mechanical signboards they used to have at airports and train stations back in the day. But there was something about the wonderful sounds they made as the letters and numbers flipped over that was tremendously satisfying. Well, thanks to the guys at Vestaboard, you can soon have one of these mechanical signs in your own home.

While the Vestaboard still uses the split flap display mechanisms used in mechanical sign boards and alarm clocks, it’s been thoroughly updated with modern technology. Since it integrates wirelessly with a mobile app, you can send it different messages to display whenever you want. It can be programmed to display custom messages, content feeds you’ve subscribed to, and messages can be scheduled to display at pre-set times.

The board measures 37″ x 21″ x 3″ and can display up to 161 characters at a time. It’s got 62 different characters to choose from including uppercase letters of the Roman alphabet, as well as numbers, symbols, and even seven different colored tiles which I bet could make some cool pixel art.

The Vestaboard is expected to be available by December 2018, with an approximate retail price of $1850. Keep an eye out on their website for more information, or sign up here to express your interest in reserving one.

You can confuse self-driving cars by altering street signs

While car makers and regulators are mostly worried about the possibility of self-driving car hacks, University of Washington researchers are concerned about a more practical threat: defacing street signs. They've learned that it's relatively easy to...