Robots trialled for on-demand parcel and grocery delivery in Punggol

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Punggol Digital District

A trial to test the use of autonomous robot ‘couriers’ in providing on-demand deliveries in a live environment is underway in Punggol, a residential district of Singapore. The public-private trial aims to pave the way for wider use of autonomous robots in making on-demand deliveries to consumers. One-year trial The one-year trial is led by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), in partnership with Housing & Development Board (HDB), Land Transport Authority (LTA), Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), logistics service provider CM Logistics, supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice and technology provider, Otsaw.…

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Smart waste monitoring solution supports pay-as-you-throw models

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Sensoneo Route Planning solution

Sensoneo’s WatchDog enables haulers to automatically track and record all actions made during the waste collection process and supports programmes to incentivise waste reduction. Provider of smart waste management solutions, Sensoneo, has introduced a digital service monitoring device combining fleet, management, truck tracking and service verification for waste collection vehicles. The WatchDog solution enables haulers to automatically track and record all actions made during the waste collection process without the need for any manual handling, according to Sensoneo. Increasing waste The increasing volumes of waste, growing urbanism, and concern over…

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1NCE expands NB-IoT coverage in Europe

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1NCE NB-IoT

1NCE, the fully-fledged operator of IoT network services worldwide, is expanding its Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) offering in Europe. In addition to Germany and Austria, 1NCE’s IoT Flat Rate now covers the Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Italy, and the UK with access to NB-IoT networks. With the additional NB-IoT network coverage in Mainland China, 1NCE now supports the most relevant IoT core markets in Europe and Asia. Deployment of narrowband IoT solutions now easier and more economical across countries Thanks to the extended NB-IoT coverage, cross-border deployment of IoT solutions with 1NCE…

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Ontario government supports next-generation autonomous truck project

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NuPort truck

Toronto-based start-up NuPort Robotics and Canadian Tire Company have announced a partnership with the government to invest $3m to test what claims to be first-of-a-kind automated truck technology. The government of Ontario province in Canada is partnering with Canadian Tire and autonomous driving company NuPort Robotics to undertake a heavy-duty trucking project to test automated technology. The two-year project will see the Toronto-based start-up Nuport retrofit its technology to conventional semi-tractor trailers incorporating high-tech sensors and controls, a touchscreen navigation system, and other features such as obstacle and collision avoidance.…

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Intelligent infrastructure pilot launched in Texas

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public infrastructure network node (Pinn)

The Autonomy Institute and its partners are deploying a public infrastructure network node at Texas Military Department in Austin with plans to expand across major US cities and globally. The Autonomy Institute, a cooperative research consortium focused on advancing and accelerating autonomy and artificial intelligence (AI) at the edge, has announced plans to launch a public infrastructure network node (Pinn) pilot at Texas Military Department in Austin, Texas. The Pinn pilot will serve as the programme for developing autonomous solutions at the edge with plans to expand from Austin to…

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Espoo launches autonomous street sweeper pilot programme

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Trombia Free Autonomous Street Sweepers

The Trombia Free units are equipped with an all-weather autonomous, lidar-based, machine vision technology that filtrates the noise coming from the environment in rainy, snowy or alternative conditions. The Finnish city of Espoo is launching a commercial trial of an autonomous street sweeper. Finnish street maintenance technology developer, Trombia Technologies, launched the full-power autonomous street sweeper in September 2020 and piloted it in Helsinki. Sustainable city cleaning City authorities plan to roll out a commercial pilot from March 2021 onwards, ushering in the start of greener and more sustainable city…

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Paris to launch universal charging pilot for micro-mobility

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Duckt lock charge points

Duckt will install 150 dock, lock and charge points across the Paris Rive Gauche area to demonstrate how the infrastructure can accelerate micro-mobility to reduce climate impact in the city. The Paris Rive Gauche (13th arrondissement) area of Paris is to undertake a pilot project for the installation of 150 dock, lock, and charge points. The project, awarded to micro-mobility infrastructure provider Duckt, aims to demonstrate how universal charging infrastructure can accelerate micro-mobility use to reduce climate impact in the city. Universal charge solution After responding to a Paris municipality…

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Austria builds lidar-equipped testing environment

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ALP.Lab lidar

The Austrian Industry and Testing Alliance (ALP.Lab) has teamed with Cepton, a provider of intelligent, lidar-based solutions, to build lidar-equipped testing environments for studying complicated road driving situations. According to ALP.Lab, for the first time in Austria, this project will deliver real-world traffic data analytics from complex urban and rural alpine intersections. Complex traffic situations As an alliance of automotive suppliers such as Magna and AVL, and as a partner to scientific organisations like Virtual Vehicle Research, Joanneum Research and Graz University of Technology, ALP.Lab seeks to deliver real-life data…

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Partnership announced to co-create Bleutech Park smart city vision

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Bleutech Park Properties

Real-estate investment trust (REIT) Bleutech Park Properties is partnering with Siemens Advanta to help co-create what it claims will be the first “digital infrastructure city” in the world. The £7.5bn Bleutech Park development, located in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, will be constructed of net-zero carbon footprint buildings within its own insular mini-city, featuring automated multi-functional designs, renewable energy sources, photovoltaic ‘supertrees’, as well as a variety of other interconnected innovations. Ultra-luxury residential towers The smart city development will encompass luxury residential towers, futuristic hotels, technologically advanced office spaces, and…

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Ubuntu Core 20 secures Linux for IoT

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Ubuntu Core 20

Canonical’s Ubuntu Core 20, a minimal, containerised version of Ubuntu 20.04 LTS for Internet of Things (IoT) devices and embedded systems, is now generally available. This version bolsters device security with secure boot, full disk encryption, and secure device recovery. Ubuntu Core builds on the Ubuntu application ecosystem to create what are said to be ultra-secure smart things. “Every connected device needs guaranteed platform security and an app store,” says Canonical’s CEO, Mark Shuttleworth. “Ubuntu Core 20 enables innovators to create highly secure things and focus entirely on their own…

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The living bricks that generate energy in the home

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The wall of living bricks

The energy-generating microbial system can simultaneously supply power to homes and communicate to individuals through augmented reality to tell them how productive and happy it is. A research consortium has created a prototype of “living bricks” that can generate energy in the home and which it hopes will ultimately replace fossil fuels and revolutionise housing. The Active Living Infrastructure: Controlled Environment (Alice) consortium claims the living bricks can make electricity and clean water, but also ensure individuals keep informed and help them offset environmental impacts. Bio-digital research The Alice consortium…

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Hitachi tests battery-powered tram in Florence

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Hitachi Rail tram Florence

Hitachi Rail has reached an important milestone following a successful trial of its first battery-powered tram in Florence. While traditional tram lines require electrified infrastructure – usually overhead wires supported by poles or pylons – that are expensive to install and visually unattractive. Battery trams offer the opportunity to run high-capacity public transport through city centres, while saving millions on installing wires and reducing the unsightly visual impact. Energy consumed The trial involved installing battery packs on an existing Hitachi-built Sirio tram, which covered a section of the line under…

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Voi to launch e-scooters that measure air quality in the UK

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Voi e-scooters

Voi Technology is launching an e-scooter that measures air quality as it travels in UK cities this spring. It features optional smart pollution sensors, as well as noise and light sensors, to help identify areas with poor air quality and high levels of noise pollution. The Voiager 4 (V4) model also offers new safety features – including audible alarms and indicators – designed to increase the visibility of e-scooters to pedestrians and to vulnerable road users, including those with vision impairments. Integration with public transport As well as lower traffic…

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Partners launch smart city air mobility trials

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aerotaxi smart city

Locations chosen for the trials in the Horizon 2020 project are Santiago de Compostela in Spain, Cranfield in the UK and Amsterdam and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Amu-Led, a newly created Single European Sky ATM Research (Sesar) U-space demonstration project, aims to trial a range of smart city air mobility services over the next two years in several cities across Europe. The aim is to demonstrate the safe integration of all types of drone operations including air taxis, cargo delivery drones or unmanned systems in support of emergencies in urban…

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London hits electric vehicles charging milestone

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London smart city

The UK capital has more than 500 rapid charge points and over 5,500 residential charge points, with some points dedicated exclusively for almost 4,000 electric taxis. London has hit its target of delivering 300 more electric vehicle (EV) rapid charging points across the UK capital before the end of 2020, bringing the total to around 600. Working with BP Pulse and ESB Energy as charging point operators, Transport for London (TfL) met its target, despite works being paused from April to June 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Charging hubs…

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