What are the big black boxes popping up in downtown Raleigh? Wander no more.

Anna Johnson
·2 min read
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Eight-foot tall interactive kiosks have arrived in downtown Raleigh, the first of their kind in North Carolina.

These boxes, called IKE or Interactive Kiosk Experience, are meant to help people find their way downtown, highlighting nearby businesses, upcoming events and transit options.

Fifteen IKEs are planned for downtown Raleigh, with five set to be installed and activated in the coming days.

“When visiting other cities, IKE proved invaluable in helping us identify restaurants, museums and fun places to visit — not to mention information on transit,” Raleigh Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said in a news release.. “After my experience, I worked to bring them to Raleigh, and I’m excited they are finally here. These kiosks will provide valuable information to residents, conference goers, and tourists about our downtown businesses and events, improving their experience.”

The Raleigh City Council voted in 2022 to pursue an agreement with IKE Smart City, which will cover the cost to install and maintain the kiosks.

IKE doesn’t require any city or Downtown Raleigh Alliance funding, instead getting its revenue from advertisements. The ads will not include: alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, nudity, pornography, lewd or sexually explicit content, political content or advertisements “that are derogatory to any group,” according to a 2022 presentation to the Raleigh City Council.

A rendering of what the Interactive Kiosk Experience (IKE) will look like in downtown Raleigh
A rendering of what the Interactive Kiosk Experience (IKE) will look like in downtown Raleigh

How do they work?

The IKE has two modes: passive and engaged.

The kiosk is in passive mode when it’s not being engaged by a pedestrian. It shows a loop of city and community messages, art and commercial ads.

When a pedestrian touches the kiosk, it switches to engaged mode showing a list of applications for people to choose from. These include where to find nearby attractions, restaurants or shops. Other applications include a job board and where to find homeless shelters or city and state buildings.

The boxes are Americans with Disabilities Act compliant and multilingual.

“The IKE Kiosks will significantly improve wayfinding for our businesses and destinations in downtown Raleigh,” said Bill King, president and CEO of Downtown Raleigh Alliance, in the news release. “The capacity to update information digitally, in real time, provides much more functionality than static signage.”

Where are the kiosks?

The digital signs are in 16 locations throughout the United States including Baltimore, Miami and Houston. The first five in Raleigh are at:

  • 300 Glenwood Ave. (Glenwood Avenue and Lane Street)

  • 428 W. Martin St. (South West and West Martin streets)

  • 616 N. West St. (North West and West Peace streets)

  • 502 Glenwood Avenue (Glenwood Avenue and Tucker Street)

  • 301 S. Wilmington St. (South Wilmington and East Martin streets)

Seven other locations are under review:

  • Fayetteville and Martin streets

  • Fayetteville and Hargett streets

  • Hargett and Blount streets

  • Martin and Blount streets

  • Morgan and West streets

  • Salisbury and Lenoir streets

  • Wilmington and Jones streets

Other downtown locations “are being explored,” to round out the 15 IKE spots.

A list of IKE locations under construction and under review in downtown Raleigh.
A list of IKE locations under construction and under review in downtown Raleigh.