How Smart Technology is Changing Urban Life in China

08/01/2019

Autonomous bus running in Beijing Haidian Park (Image:Xinhuanews)

urbanisationnews - Social

Recently more and more smart technologies have been developed and deployed into Chinese society. From artificial intelligence (AI) to augmented reality (AR), these technologies have rapidly made significant changes in people's lives.

Voice-Activated ticketing is more convenient for tourists (Image: Xinhuanews)

Voice-Activated Ticketing in Shanghai

The metro system in Shanghai recently brought voice-interactive ticket machines at major metro stations across the city. This activation technology, developed by Tech giant Alibaba, allows passengers to tell a ticket machine their specific destination and the machine will plan the best route for them and advise the destination station.

Payment is made by phone app. and is particularly useful for unfamiliar travelers and tourists. More than that, 'it enables accurate communication with a smart device from a distance of up to five metres within the extremely loud noises of the station, and people even don't need to use any specific word to active the machine'. Yan Zhijie, the director of intelligent speech recognition at Alibaba’s Institute of Data and Science Technology said.
 
As one of the longest and busiest metro system in the world, Shanghai metro system has more than four thousand trains with 367 stations.

At a time when cities are looking towards the benefits of implementing free public urban transportation, Luxembourg recently became the first country to do so, the latest technology implementation would seem to be a short term step in further  assisting smart routing and moving towards ticketless urban transportation.
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A Digital ID card is functioning the same as the actual card for hotel check-in (Image：Jiemiannews)

Interface of Mini-app "Yueshengshi"

Guangdong Issues Legally Recognized Digital ID

Starting from November 2018, Guangdong residents can now use digital ID cards to check in at three-stars and above hotel. The digital ID cards are generated by the Wechat mini app named as "Yueshengshi."
 
The digital ID card can be easily issued once the programme matches an applicant's face with the ID photo through Tencent's facial recognition technology.
   
As a part of the efforts to build a "digital government", Guangdong province launched the "Yueshengshi" mini app in May 2018 that allows local residents to process all livelihood services on their phones.  
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Interactive screen highlighting user activity in Haidian Park, Beijing (image: Xinhuanews)

First 'Smart Park' opens in Beijing

The first intelligent themed park has opened recently in Beijing Haidian district, empowered by search engine giant Baidu and equipped with a multitude of tech facility interfaces using face recognition, autonomous transport and voice interactive consols.

For instance, face recognition cameras along the jogging track automatically record people's motion data. Registered users do not need to wear hardware devices to see their performance details which is recorded on interactive screens.
 
More than that, augmented reality Tai Chi lessons, autonomous buses, face recognition lockers, as well as smart voice pavilions, which allow people to chat and check information on the smart screens have been introduced.

Visitors play augmented reality Tai Chi in Haidian Park (image: Xinhuanews)

The opening of the park is coupled with Baidu's ambitious plan named ACE to build autonomous transport networks. The plan aims to promote solutions for 'Autonomous Driving', 'Connected Road', and 'Efficient City'.

​2018/11/28
HOUSING:
Up or Down? (October 2018)

2018/10/25
TRANSPORTATION:
Buses Moving Towards Automation

​​2018/09/06
ENVIRONMENT:
Tightening Air Pollution Controls​

2018/07/06
SOCIAL:
Increasing Rents Pressurise City Outskirts

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