Technology - Urban Living

685

Description

In a landscape threatened by global warming and massive energy deficiencies, we look to the world of technology to provide us with inventive solutions for a better tomorrow. The answer could come in the form of renewable energies like wind and solar, which have become a more reasonably priced alternative than any time in history. In the opening moments of Urban Living, we are transported to Singapore, where officials have implemented a slew of promising solar energy projects to public housing developments throughout the city. Following their lead, cities around the globe may soon undergo a profound transformation by harboring the Earths clean resources to power their everyday needs. But renewable energy is not the only example of how emerging technologies are working to redefine daily life in our cities. In Tokyo, nature and industrialization are converging like never before as researchers are introducing new and inventive farming strategies which can be implemented into an urban environment. Sodium-powered vapor lamps are used to promote the indoor growth of edible vegetation. Utilizing the latest agricultural technologies, even rooftop settings across the city have been converted to cultivate natural food production. Efficiency and sustainability are the key points of consideration for developers of home technologies as well. In Korea, technologists have developed innovative touchscreen tablets which can provide readings of power and water usage throughout the home, inventory your closets, and instruct you on how to prepare your next meal. Personal mobility devices are currently in development which will allow older or disabled citizens an opportunity to travel short distances with little effort. Increasingly sophisticated humanoid robots can provide similar benefits by performing a variety of tasks which are too strenuous for our aging population. In addition to performing these and other domesticated functions, robots are also being designed to plumb the depths and mysteries of places humans cant reach, such as the deepest regions of the sea. Urban Living travels to development labs across Asia to give us an insightful glimpse of the future technologies which could soon become essential components of our everyday reality.