Editor’s Note: Straight out of science fiction

Straight out of science fiction

Igenuinely appreciate Arthur C. Clarke’s Third Law: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” There is a truth that rings from it, of which I am reminded of almost every day after reading or watching various tech-related articles or videos. I can understand the basics for some advancements, while others leave me thinking: We truly live in Sarah Wright | Editor magical times! For instance, in Japan, some public toilets are enclosed in colorful, transparent glass, but the moment the door is closed and locked, that glass goes opaque. What is this sorcery?! It’s actually electric currents. They align crystals in the glass to increase or decrease the light passing through, creating a transparent or frosted appearance. This “smart glass” enables people to see what awaits them on the bathroom’s interior while conversely providing privacy when occupied. That Japan has created such beautiful, high-tech public toilets is not a surprise, as it has long dominated toilet technology in the home.

It’s not just public toilets toeing the line with magic.

In the Netherlands, the city of Amsterdam has developed “the first peer-reviewed, privacy-by-design” crowd monitoring system, called Public Eye. Created with Life Electronic and Tapp, this system uses existing city cameras and a computer vision artificial intelligence algorithm to monitor and predict crowds in public spaces. The pandemic showed its potential to measure social distancing. With data gathered by Public Eye, the city can better manage crowds and reduce risks of injury.

Amsterdam and its partners had privacy on their minds when developing it and also had no desire to use it as an enforcement tool. Boen Groothoff, project manager for smart mobility in the city of Amsterdam’s Chief Technology Office, told Cities Today, “We don’t want people to get (enforcement) tickets or fines; we want to prevent that by making sure areas don’t get too crowded in the first place and helping people make informed decisions.”

Since Public Eye is open sourced, any city can try it out, with its files being available at https://github.com/Amsterdam/public-eye.

COVID-19 has had a profound impact on technology’s development and adoption. From video conferencing to better air quality management tools, there has been so much growth and rapid deployment.

Writer Janet Patterson highlights this growth in her article this month, zooming in on two cities’ technology updates that will ensure hybrid meetings going forward. During the pandemic, both noticed an uptick in constituent engagement through virtual meetings, and they hope to continue that engagement.

The Municipal will also highlight a city-university partnership that has created a new technology for blight detection, Keene, N.H.’s, efforts to go zero emissions and the Arizona Department of Transportation’s infrastructure game changer.

There are so many exciting technologies being unveiled each day. Truthfully, I’m just ready for a transporter for hopefully cheap, instantaneous travel — barring mishaps.

Cheers, everyone, and Happy Thanksgiving!