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Articles on Smart technology

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Buildings consume more energy when empty or partially occupied for extended periods because they are designed to depend on human interactions. (Shutterstock)

Empty buildings consume more energy than you think

Farzam Sepanta, Carleton University

Buildings are designed for people to live in, but what happens when no one is present or only half of the occupants are there?
A smart light pole in the UK can also recognise faces and numberplates and detect speeding. Nazlika/Wikimedia Commons

Smart street furniture in Australia: a public service or surveillance and advertising tool?

Justine Humphry, University of Sydney; Chris Chesher, University of Sydney, and Sophia Maalsen, University of Sydney

Smart street furniture can do a lot of things at once. Some of these functions offer the public clear benefits, but the data collection and surveillance capabilities raise a number of concerns.
Abandoned trolleys litter a roadside in Whalan, a suburb in Sydney’s outer west. Shutterstock

The war on abandoned trolleys can be won. Here’s how

Johan Barthélemy, University of Wollongong

Abandoned trolleys are an all-too-common sight. A solution to this intractable problem depends on a combination of policy and legal changes, public engagement and tracking technology.
Toys are becoming increasingly advanced, but this can be more of a hindrance than a perk. Pixabay

Robots, AI and drones: when did toys turn into rocket science?

Andrew Maxwell, University of Southern Queensland

At Christmas shopping, you may have noticed toys are becoming very complex. They fly, hop, jump and follow you around – some even need to be ‘connected’. But why are we seeing such technical advances?
Smart transport solutions make better use of existing infrastructure and reduce the need to build expensive new roads. AdobeStock

Smart tech systems cut congestion for a fraction of what new roads cost

Hussein Dia, Swinburne University of Technology

Faced with the eye-watering costs of building infrastructure, it makes sense to turn to much more cost-effective smart technology to get traffic flowing.
As our worlds are become increasingly digitised, we’re starting to rely more on machines and devices for everyday tasks. But in an age when even pacemakers can be hacked, how do we know when and who to trust? SHUTTERSTOCK

Would you notice if your calculator was lying to you? The research says probably not

Monica Whitty, The University of Melbourne

Research shows we’re pretty gullible as it is. And our increasing reliance on machines for completing everyday tasks makes us all-the-more vulnerable to being exploited.
Telstra’s new digital advertising payphones can be found at Melbourne’s Bourke Street Mall. In this photo, the older centre booth sits between two of Telstra’s larger high-tech booths. City of Melbourne

Telstra’s new high-tech payphones are meeting resistance from councils, but why?

Mark A Gregory, RMIT University

The new payphones have Wi-Fi, mobile charging and transport information. But city councils are concerned they’re digital billboards for Telstra, which could cost billions in lost productivity.
Overflowing bins are one way to spoil the amenity of public space, but sensors can now alert councils when bins need emptying. Wikimedia

Sensors in public spaces can help create cities that are both smart and sociable

Christian Tietz, UNSW Sydney; Christine Steinmetz-Weiss, UNSW Sydney; Homa Rahmat, UNSW Sydney; Kate Bishop, UNSW Sydney; Linda Corkery, UNSW Sydney; Miles Park, UNSW Sydney; Nancy Marshall, UNSW Sydney, and Susan Thompson, UNSW Sydney

Researchers are installing sensors to collect data about the use of public spaces. This can improve the management and public amenity of these places, but will users see the technology as intrusive?
Lots of parking: the extraordinary amount of valuable land used to park cars in most cities could soon be freed up for other uses. Antonio Gravante/Shutterstock

Freeing up the huge areas set aside for parking can transform our cities

Dorina Pojani, The University of Queensland; Derlie Mateo-Babiano, The University of Melbourne; Jonathan Corcoran, The University of Queensland, and Neil G Sipe, The University of Queensland

Cities around the world are starting to rethink the vast areas of land set aside for parking. The convergence of several trends likely will mean this space becomes available for other uses.
It never ends. Daniel Oines/flickr

Is there any way to stop ad creep?

Mark Bartholomew, University at Buffalo

A host of spaces that were once immune to commercial intrusion – from parks to our friendships – are now being infiltrated by advertisers. Are we being enslaved by a ‘merciless master’?
Smart cities work on developing a shared vision of their preferred future. Andrea Danti/from www.shutterstock.com

Here’s what smart cities do to stay ahead

Colin Russo, University of the Sunshine Coast

Smart cities do more than develop products to increase productivity and prosperity. Mayors, CEOs and leaders engage entire communities in shaping the future of cities.

Related Topics

  1. Artificial intelligence (AI)
  2. Cities
  3. Cities & Policy
  4. Internet of Things
  5. Melbourne
  6. Public space
  7. Robots
  8. Smart cities
  9. Surveillance
  10. Transport policy

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