smart[er] smart urban safety & security| surveillance| crime prevention| conflict mediation|...
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Smart[er] Smart Urban Safety & Security| Surveillance| Crime Prevention| Conflict Mediation| Healthcare Provision
Case Studies + Situated Technologies
[1]
[1] Pedestrian Detection SystemGM
General Motors researchers are developing a driver assistance feature potentially capable of
detecting pedestrians and bicyclists on congested streets or in poor
visibility conditions before the driver notices them.
The feature relies on Wi-Fi Direct, the peer-to-peer wireless standard that
allows devices like some smartphones to communicate
directly with each other rather than through a shared access point like a
cell phone tower.
Unlike 3G-based systems, there's little lag between locating and
identifying bikes or people crossing the street since the signal doesn't have to be bounced off a satellite.
It also has a leg up on radar detection since Wi-Fi can be a two
way pipeline -- alerting someone out for a stroll of an oncoming vehicle.
Wi-Fi Direct allows Wi-Fi devices to connect to each other without the
need for a wireless access point. This also allows Wi-Fi Direct devices to
directly transfer data between each other with greatly reduced setup.
The product will likely not be available on the market for a few years, but this type of wireless
pedestrian detection is part of GM’s greater development of what they call “vehicle-to-infrastructure” and
“vehicle-to-vehicle” communication. The system could also potentially
provide warnings about hazards such as slowed or stalled vehicles,
slippery roads or intersections and stop signs.
[2]
[2] Safe PaintUniversity of Strathclyde, Glasgow
Researchers in Glasgow have devised a method that uses
nanotechnology that turns paint into a sensor network that's able to
detect minor structural faults before they become a severe problem.
The paint consists of a mix of highly aligned carbon nanotubes and a
recycled waste material known as ‘fly ash.’ When the nanotubes bend, the conductivity changes, indicating
that there could be a structural problem developing.
Fly ash is one of the residues generated in combustion- it usually
refers to ash produced during combustion of coal. It is generally captured by filtration equipment
before the gases reach the chimneys of coal-fired power plants.
Depending upon the source and makeup of the coal being burned,
the components of fly ash vary considerably.
Chris Poland, chairman and senior principal at the structural-
engineering firm Degenkolb Engineers, has stated “micro
cracking in the steel support shaft of a wind turbine may indicate that
there is a problem developing," he told CNET. "If it were a concrete
column, the micro cracks would only suggest that the column was starting
to do its job."
This isn’t the first paint that has had a tech-solution aspect to it. The chemical structure of Nissan's
Scratch Shield paint enables it to repair small auto surface scratches
by filling in the gaps.
Researchers at Rice University and City
College of New York came up with a way to embed silver nanoparticles in paint to infuse it with
germ-killing properties.
[3]
[3] Copenhagen Airport TrackingSITA
Airport officials at Copenhagen airport will get a real-time picture of
where travelers go and what they do. The officials can use this information to improve the design of the airport, direct the flow of passengers or shift employees to improve the efficiency
of security or immigration checkpoints.
SITA’s system of locating multiple Wi-Fi receivers at the airport means
that passenger locations can be determined within about 10 feet or
so of accuracy. This is enough to see where passengers congregate, how much time they spend in stores and restaurants and where there may be
bottlenecks. It will also enable airport retailers to communicate with
travelers directly.
Through wireless access points strategically placed throughout the terminals, the app will be able to
identify an individuals location with relative accuracy. Once the app
determines where the user is, they can choose services, and the app will display the appropriate information, such as directions to a gate or the
description of a shop.
Some people take issue with the privacy aspects of this app. Though you do have to download it to use it,
it could potentially lead to an increased level of surveillance in airports, places already ripe with
both security and surveillance concerns. People like Jill Magid have
responded to these types of surveillance efforts through art.
The Surveillance Shoe is a hybrid of surveillance hardware and high-
heeled shoes. A camera with infrared technology is built into the shoe's
design, fixed in a position to film up the wearers leg. “While this leg
appears stable like architecture, the actual architecture becomes
mobile.”
[4]
[4] LifeStrawVestergaard Frandsen
LifeStraw is a water filter designed to be used by one person to filter water
so that they may safely drink it. It filters enough for one person for one
year, and removes 99.9% of waterborne bacteria and parasites. It
is essentially a hollow stick containing a series of filtering
membranes that, through suction, propels water through it and cleans it
by the time it is ingested.
The tube is 310 millimeters long and 30 millimeters in diameter. Water
that is drawn up through the straw first passes through hollow fibers
that filter water particles down to 0.2 microns across, using only physical
filtration
The developer of the product will distribute LifeStraw for free rather than selling it, and will open free repair shops in Kenya. When
the product expires at the end of three years, the company will replace them for free. The
amount of carbon credits the company would receive would depend on how much boiling
the LifeStraw prevents. As a result, the more it is used, the more credits Vestergaard
Frandsen will be awarded, and the more money it will make.
Similar low-tech, low-cost solutions are being developed. One example are adaptive water
glasses.
These glasses rely on the principle that the fatter a lens the more
powerful it is. Inside the lenses are two clear sacs filled with fluid. The
wearer adjusts a dial on the syringe to add or reduce amount of fluid in the membrane, thus changing the
power of the lens.