Integrating AI and Robotics to Create Smarter, Safer, and Cleaner Urban Environments

A smart city is a city that uses technology and data to improve the quality of life for the residents. Smart cities allow people to enjoy more efficient infrastructure and transportation systems, improved energy and waste management, and better public services, hygiene and safety. The goal of a smart city is to make urban areas more sustainable, connected, and responsive to the needs of the people living there. Though cities don’t become “smart” overnight, we have begun to see new smart technologies being integrated into our everyday life. In this blog, we will look closer at how cities are now integrating AI and robotics to create smarter, safer, and cleaner urban environments.  

Smart safety monitoring systems 

Cities are constantly growing and evolving, and at any given time, there will be numerous construction projects in progress. Worksite safety, therefore, is of paramount importance.  

There are numerous risks associated with working on construction sites, including falling objects, slips, falling from height, and fire, and preventing these has historically been down to human supervision. However, in today’s smarter worksites, solutions such as Smart Worksite Monitoring System help take the strain off supervisors and improve the safety of workers.  

Using IoT, AI and video analytics integrated with sensors and cameras, the Smart Worksite Monitoring System analyses the worksite round the clock and issues alerts to supervisors through a mobile app or email if any unusual occurrences occur. The clear dashboard highlights any issues in real time, including abnormal object detection, vibration, smoke and fire detection, unauthorized trespassing, and monitoring the use of personal safety equipment. The system is also useful to monitor work progress remotely. See it in action below: 

Patrol robots 

Public safety is also important in today’s cities as populations grow, buildings become larger and more complex, transportation hubs busier, and events commonplace. The traditional use of human guards to monitor safety can be both expensive and difficult given the labour shortages in the industry. The work can also expose guards themselves to risks. Thankfully, advances in robotics technology, such as Patrol Robots, means ensuring public safety can be achieved more effectively, with less risk, and at a fraction of the cost.  

Patrol Robots feature self-navigation, autonomous charging, audio intercoms, 360-degree video surveillance, Wi-Fi or 5G connectivity, integrated AI, and obstacle avoidance systems. They are designed to operate 24/7 performing mobile monitoring of indoor and outdoor areas, in any weather conditions, day or night. Easily adapted to any situation, Patrol Robots can perform roles such as identity checks, screening for hazardous materials or situations, facial recognition, and license plate recognition, without direct human oversight. Instead, should any unusual situation occur, the robot will promptly send live images or alerts to a control centre for any further action.  

Smart recycling bins 

Last but not least is the need to keep our environment clean as well as promote sustainable living habits. Waste management, including scheduling efficient waste collections, and encouraging recycling, has always been a challenge for cities. And with our landfills becoming full, it is vital that we embrace technology to solve the issue. GF Technovation’s Smart Auto-Sorting Recycling Bin shown above, can help with this.  

Using integrated AI and image processing technology, the bin automatically identifies items places inside, automatically sorting them into plastic, paper, metal or glass. A digital display shows the fill-level of the bin, and an IoT sensor will trigger compaction once a pre-set level is reached, helping to maximize the storage capacity and reducing the number of collections needed.  

The Smart Auto-Sorting Recycling Bin not only encourages recycling and makes it more effective, it also allows for effective data collection and analysis for better planning by local authorities. See the bin in action below:   

Learn more about GF Technovation’s smart city solutions 

GF Technovation is at the forefront of smart city solutions. It is constantly innovating to create more effective and efficient ways to improve our environment and safety by harnessing the power of AI and robotics. To learn more about its worksite safety, robotics, and smart hygiene solutions, click here.