The megatrend of urbanisation is attracting more and more people to the cities. By 2050, 68% of the world’s population will live in cities. To cope with these crowds, new technologies are needed in cities to make life simpler, more connected and more digital. The buzzword behind this is Smart City. More and more cities are currently presenting the goal of their own Smart City in their urban planning. Connectivity is at the top of the list. This networking of all urban development processes will then be used to improve urban services and infrastructure.
5G Technologies
One of the central drivers of smart cities of the future is the 5G technology. This enables many processes that are currently inconceivable. Whether sensors, IoT or immersive media, without 5G technologies it will be difficult to network the intelligent devices.
Internet of Things and Sensors
Sensors are the eyes and ears of most physical devices of the future. They constitute the ecosystem of the Internet of Things and help self-propelled cars, lawnmower robots and the smart home to communicate and interact optimally with each other. The sensors are particularly relevant for the IoT. IoT offers seamless integration of smart devices, enabling new processes that go far beyond machine-to-machine communication (M2M).
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence plays a central role in our innovative society. AI analyzes processes much faster and can help to ensure that, for example, traffic runs optimally in the Smart City or that processes within the city run efficiently and save resources.
In addition, the use of AI enables a deeper understanding of how the city works and thus changes route guidance and city management.
Robotics
Cooperation between humans and robots can optimise urban, professional and social life in smart cities. Some of the world’s most advanced cities are already using robotics in urban areas. Dubai, Tokyo and Singapore are already transforming their cityscapes into smart cities.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
From virtual road signs to tailor-made advertising and navigation. Immersive media such as Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality lead the development of intelligent cities and enable many application scenarios in the everyday lives of their inhabitants.
These are only a few components that will shape smart cities, but technological progress, combined with a focus on fair and socially optimised urban planning, will enable a future for urban development that can also cope with the ever-increasing population figures.
