- Home
- Smart Cities
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-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.
Original Series
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.
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’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.
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: 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: 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: 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: 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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.