This article was taken from the May 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Urban areas are getting smarter, with city projects such as solar-powered bike paths in Krommenie, the Netherlands, to cardless ATMs in Chicago already under way. Environmental sensors and self-driving cars are being rolled out: later this year, Dublin will become one of the most densely monitored cities in the world when 1,200 Intel sensors are placed around the capital to gather and monitor noise and air quality data.
Singapore, meanwhile, wants to lose the car driver. "If a city were to go driverless, then you could satisfy the mobility of everybody with 20 per cent of the cars we use today," says Carlo Ratti, director of MIT’s SENSEable City Lab, a research group investigating how emerging tech is changing cities. "The technology is there. We are discussing with the Singaporean government how it could be one of the first places where this could happen." Here are WIRED’s favourite urban upgrades, currently being tested from Lima to London.
Billboards in Lima are claimed to filter pollution as effectively as 1,200 trees.
2. On-the-go Wi-Fi
Portuguese company Veniamis turning vehicles into hotspots.
3. Local monitors
Buildingeye alerts San Franciscans of current and future planning permits.
4. Cop-cams
Smart bodycams for police officers are being trialled in cities including New York and Rio.
5. Bike escalator
In Trondheim, Norway, cyclists get up the hill on the CycloCable.
6. Cardless ATMs
Chicago’s Wintrust Financial lets customers take out money using QR codes.
7. Faster roads
Synchronised traffic-control systems in Los Angeles have cut commute times by 12 per cent.
8. Virtual Satnav
Jaguar is working to show directions and warnings directly on the windscreen.
9. Pedal pods
Shweeb’s monorail, currently being tested at Google’s Mountain View HQ, runs on solar or pedal power.
10. Solar commute
Solar-powered JPod transporters are being tested in Secaucus, New Jersey.
11. Smart meters
Madrid’s parking prices are adjusted to reflect the CO<sub>2</sub> emissions of your vehicle.
12. Electric Buses
Scania will test Sweden’s first wirelessly charged bus in Södertälje.
13. Waste analysis
Sewer scans in Boston could spot disease outbreaks before they spread across the city.
14. Cyclist lights
"Simultaneous green" crossings in west London give bikes priority over other vehicles.
15. Solar bike paths
Solar cells in Krommenie’s 100-metre SolaRoad harvest energy to power street lights and electric cars.
16. Rooftop charge
Proterra’s buses take ten minutes to charge through a rooftop charging point.
17. Homeless GPS
In Denmark, homeless people are given GPS trackers to better situate shelters.
18. Easy parking
SmartEye sensors detect when spaces in London are available.
19. Smart helmet
Volvo’s bike helmet communicates with the cyclist and nearby cars.
20. Upcycled Hubs
New York payphones will be replaced by Wi-Fi hotspots in a $200m plan called LinkNYC.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
