Smart Cities

Argonne National Laboratory recently won a $25 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to establish an urban laboratory in Chicago called Community Research on Climate and Urban Science, or CROCUS.

Gabe Klein has been named as the head of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, charged with overseeing the buildout of some 500,000 high-speed public chargers across the nation, among other projects.

Four pilot projects in cities across the country demonstrated some of the everyday challenges faced by deployments of small, self-operating delivery robots. The infrastructure the device must navigate can be a major limitation.

Pilot projects using bidirectional charging equipment are turning electric vehicles into battery storage units, feeding energy back onto the grid when needed. Fleet vehicles are seen as prime opportunity for the tech.

Wastewater surveillance is proving to be the most accurate and economical way to gauge COVID-19 activity in communities across the country, but funding for this type of tracking hasn’t been consistent.

New York City’s bus service will partner with Hayden AI on a project to use camera technology armed with artificial intelligence to help keep cars out of bus-only lanes.

Ten intersections in Mission Hills will be equipped with surveillance cameras capable of reading license plates. The technology is being installed to assist in criminal investigations and traffic monitoring.

The startup has partnered with Paradigm Traffic Systems on a push to bring better technology to road safety and traffic management in the state. The move reflects the rise of smart traffic controls and connected vehicles.

Commuters using several MVRTA bus stops will soon have access to Wi-Fi and device charging thanks to a $50,000 grant from the state. The stops could also include displays for real-time schedules and other information.

The technology can help state and local governments provide public safety, utility, smart city and disaster management tools in quicker, more efficient fashion. As AI becomes more common, edge computing might as well.

The UbiHub tool already is helping cities with traffic and curb management, and can be used for a variety of other tasks. The company is making a play to reduce costs and hassles for smart city projects.

Many residents have no idea what sort of data is collected by the myriad sensors, cameras and other pieces of smart city technology. A new project hopes to demystify the technology through embedded QR codes.

The Colorado Smart Cities Alliance announced the start of the Connected Colorado Challenge June 30, calling for innovative technology solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing cities in the state.

The deal will strengthen efforts by Siemens on smart city and infrastructure technology. Brightly, which sells its technology to public agencies, schools and hospitals, has some 12,000 clients.

The smartphone-based congestion-pricing technology being tested in Bogota, Colombia, is showing promise. Some major U.S. cities are also looking at solutions to better manage their own crowded roadways.

A $17 million effort to expand smart intersection technology across St. Charles County will give automatic right of way to first responders en route to an emergency. Around 210 of the more than 350 lights have the technology.

The software provider, which uses AI to predict danger, recently demonstrated its products to the Florida DOT. A company executive details the company’s visions and plans as pedestrian and cyclist deaths increase.

Ten transportation technology companies were selected for eight-week project deployments in the New York City metro region to explore artificial intelligence, sustainability and other technology areas to innovate transit.