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Smart Cities

Cities across the globe are installing technology to gather data in the hopes of saving money, becoming cleaner, reducing traffic, and improving urban life. Digital Trends regularly examines how smart cities deal with everything from energy management, to disaster preparedness, to public safety — and most importantly, what it all means for you.

mercedes benzs first e scooter is rugged and foldable merc 2

Mercedes-Benz rolls into micromobility market with foldable e-scooter

Mercedes-Benz has launched its first electric scooter, a rugged two-wheeler with a top speed of 12 mph and a 15-mile range.
united airlines to order 200 flying taxis for airport trips archer evtol aircraft

United Airlines to order 200 flying taxis for airport trips

teflon water supply dangerous faucet

Hacker tries to poison the water supply of a Florida city

google is planning to test drones for fighting fires firefighting

Google is planning to test drones for fighting fires

watch americas first ever firefighting robot in action

Watch America’s first firefighting robot in action

peek inside amazons newly unveiled electric delivery truck amazon

Check out Amazon’s newly unveiled electric delivery truck

waymo expands its driverless robotaxi service to more riders app

Waymo opens its fully driverless robotaxi service to more riders

ring always home cam autonomous flying camera news specs price alway connect 2 of 3

Watch Amazon’s new Ring security drone take on a burglar in first ad

avis ai technology scans rental cars for damage busy night highway

California will ban the sale of new gas-powered cars by 2035

Drone Zone

U.K. has plans to create aerial drone zone superhighways to contain UAV traffic

Alexa for Residential program.

Alexa’s moving into your next apartment with Amazon’s residential program

Amazon Dash Cart

Amazon’s new smart shopping cart lets you skip the checkout lines

Original Series
what comes next episode 5 wcn schools

What Comes Next: How tech can help schools safely reopen

If your school is reopening in the fall, safety will be a priority, and the upcoming school year will test the limits of how schools can open and operate.
Brixton Academy 1

Iconic music venue will present live gigs you can watch in VR from your home

In the age of coronavirus, live music gigs seem like something from another lifetime. Could virtual reality help bring them back?
elon musk boring company tunnel loop lift co hawthorne

Elon Musk’s Boring Company plans ‘Not-a-Boring’ boring contest

With a plan to build underground transportation systems, the Boring Company needs tunneling machines that are quicker and more efficient than current designs.
A QR code opens a digital restaurant menu

You’ll be ordering food with QR code menus long after the pandemic ends

QR codes menus at restaurants are experiencing a renaissance as a way to eliminate shared menus, which could spread the coronavirus between customers.
what comes next episode 4 wcn transit

What Comes Next: How tech helps transit and travel open safely

We take a look at the safety measures around public transportation and flying, and how those industries are aiming to tackle the spread of the coronavirus.
what comes next episode 3 business owner reopening a restaurant while wearing facemask

What Comes Next: How tech helps restaurants and stores open safely

On this episode of What Comes Next, Winn looks into how restaurants and stores will be using different technologies to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
what comes next episode 2  gyms abc

What Comes Next: How tech is helping gyms and salons open safely

On this What Comes Next, we look into the reopening plans for gyms and hair salons, which are using new tech to make some big post-COVID-19 pandemic changes.
what comes next episode 1  offices workplaces abc thumbnail

What Comes Next: How tech is helping offices and workplaces reopen

In our new series, What Comes Next, we take a look ahead to see what steps businesses will need to take to prepare to move into the next phase of reopening.
2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan Waymo Self-driving Test Fleet

Waymo and Volvo ink deal to build an all-new electric robo-taxi

Waymo has announced yet another partnership, this time with Volvo. The pair will join forces to build an all-new autonomous car for ridesharing services.
democrats propose facial recognition ban crowd getty

Democratic lawmakers propose nationwide facial recognition ban

Democrats in Congress proposed a law on Thursday that would ban federal investment in facial recognition technology as well as other types of surveillance.
could ai based surveillance predict crime before it happens us technology artificial intelligence

Experts: Facial recognition will be everywhere, whether you like it or not

Facial recognition could soon become as commonplace as public Wi-Fi and security cameras. But with the advance of technology comes major ethical questions.
Waymo One

Waymo to bring self-driving minivans back to Bay Area for delivering packages

Waymo's self-driving minivans will return to the streets of the Bay Area on June 8. The vehicles will focus on delivering packages for non-profit organizations.
nice alliance pandemic security cameras allaince camera 2

Post lockdown, smart cameras could help enforce mask use and social distancing

Smart cameras can monitor social distancing rules, but what if existing security cameras could instead be adapted to identify facial masks and overcrowding?
ford releases self driving car data to researchers

Ford releases self-driving car data to encourage further research

Ford hopes data from some of its test cars will spur further development of autonomous driving tech. Ford is releasing a data package collected over one year.
smart home defense against hackers photo of person typing on computer keyboard 735911

Without a firewall, the door to your smart home is left wide open

Your smart home could be hacked, but you wouldn't even know it. Protect your all your devices against them with a hardware firewall.
army use lasers power drones drone getty images

Drone deliveries may consume 10 times as much energy as van deliveries in cities

Think that drone deliveries are the most environmentally friendly way to do future deliveries? Not so fast, claims a new study from Germany.
Man sitting on rail as people walk by

The future of smart cities may mean the death of privacy

As smart cities evolve, cameras proliferate, and all of our data is continually collected, the question of how to maintain personal privacy becomes more urgent.
maven car sharing

It’s the end of the road for GM carsharing service Maven

App-based carsharing service Maven was operating in nine North American cities but the coronavirus pandemic has proved the final straw for the GM-owned venture.
uber unveils new delivery services as ride demand tanks

Uber unveils new delivery services as ride demand tanks

One of Uber's new delivery options lets you send packages to family and friends, while the other allows you to order various items from a range of stores.
Ecobee security products on a white platform.

Ecobee Haven is an intelligent platform that makes it easy to monitor your home

Today ecobee launched Haven, a smart home monitoring platform that draws information from multiple devices to provide a truly streamlined experience.
Nest Cam IQ sitting on a desk next to car keys and books

Expect lower video quality on your Nest cameras this week

In response to community issues caused by COVID-19, Google has temporarily adjusted camera settings on their Nest cameras to help with internet strain.
Coronavirus dashboard john hopkins

New coronavirus dashboard offers astonishingly detailed data by county

Johns Hopkins University's new tracker shows county data for confirmed cases, recorded deaths, testing rate, fatality rate, hospital capacity, and more.