Where science fiction meets reality, The South Korean government has chosen Busan as a testing ground for the first smart city that uses the latest technology for a sustainable and comfortable life.
In the face of the greatest challenges facing human beings, Global cities are always embracing the most innovative solutions, They shape our lives, our economies, our policies, our ideas and our culture. This may explain this, The exponential growth of smart cities that are spreading around the world and establishing a new reality.
South Korea is one of the leading countries in this field that, in addition to global challenges, suffers from some special difficulties, such as the risk of population aging and the constant need to import energy sources, In addition to the growing population and the narrow geographical area. So, The government has chosen to collaborate with Samsung and several other companies to launch Echo Delta in the port city of Busan as the initial test site for the national smart city pilot project.
With a budget of more than $5.5 billion, Eco Delta, along with another city, is designed to be an integrated ecosystem, Let it provide an urban model for the future. The city will span 11.8 square kilometers of coastal wetlands with 30,000 homes. To shape the identity of the city, The authorities have adopted a design based on innovation and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
First thing 54 families volunteered to share their life data, From the daily program, sleep habits, and the volume of waste and others, To be studied by developers, device manufacturers and health experts. Conversely, These volunteers were exempted from housing rents, They will only pay their water and electricity bills for 3 years, extendable.
The city’s vision is based on sustainability, Where it will remain part of Greater Busan, But it will use solar and hydroelectric energy to manage and treat wastewater for irrigation. The city will also employ modern technologies in healthcare, the living environment and water management that will be supplied from the Nakdong River. 56 houses will be blessed with 15 new electronic products, Such as refrigerators, central washing and drying machines, wardrobe ventilators, Dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, screens, air conditioners, etc.
The makers of the city imagine a day in the life of one of its residents, Where the house wakes him up in the morning and reminds him of stretching exercises, Smart mirrors then tell him the most important news while he gets dressed. And when it comes out, He sees robots roaming the streets to clean them up, Parking cars and transporting goods, It helps the elderly, who make up about 19.4% of the population. Because they are more susceptible to injuries or diseases, Smart city robots will accompany them around the clock, In the event of an accident, You’ll send an automatic alert to medical providers and family members.
To control smart home devices, Samsung has developed the Smart Things app, Which enables the evaluator to adjust lighting and temperatures, and to know who visited him in his absence, Parcels are received. The application can also sense air quality and control ventilators, Design custom cleaning processes for every corner of the house. Its software also provides the ability to monitor energy consumption.
Other companies have also provided cleaning robots and contributed to garbage disposal services and recycling technology. One company is bringing in tons of sand and concrete columns to transform wetlands. And to use river water for power generation, purification of drinking water and others.
As for the street and public facilities, The authorities are seeking to use augmented reality to improve communication between citizens and government agencies. If a resident sees a broken lamp, for example, All he has to do is use your smartphone to take a hologram showing the lamp and its surroundings, and then send it to the concerned authority, Which will assess the bug and make the decision to fix it without an evaluation visit. More broadly, AI can be used to analyze traffic data and monitor any accidents or traffic jams in any part of the city to send notifications to drivers in close proximity. The algorithms will direct them to alternative routes.
It is worth saying that Eco Delta will not be satisfied with experimenting with previously invented technologies, Rather, it will embrace new innovations, Its authorities have pledged to regulate and provide infrastructure supporting the emerging technology.
Eco Delta will be a living laboratory with residents living in smart homes for five years to share with authorities the assessment of the experiment with its implications and challenges. The prototype will contain basic functional elements such as power and communication networks, But it won’t let things like light poles. Similarly, The robots will need elevators to perform delivery tasks, But the city may have different types of elevators that call for different robotics software, This complexity poses many challenges. So, The city will have several types of elevators so researchers can test the robots in various scenarios before putting them in the hands of residents.
The project is still in the pilot phase, It examines the livelihoods of Koreans and explores the extent to which the public and private sectors can build more efficient infrastructure using alternative energy sources that will significantly save costs and environmental impacts. The presence of robots with the elderly will also save time and effort for their family members and medical staff. It ensures that they are safe all the time. As for the use of artificial intelligence to manage traffic, It can save each driver 60 hours of time lost on the roads each year.
After evaluating the entire experience, It will be possible to expand it to other cities, Korean and International, The condition of permanent openness to new possibilities.
References:
http://www.businesskorea.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=84891
