Adaptive Technology makes a City Smart
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Several years ago when I was editor in chief of a national tech trade magazine, I visited IBM’s experimental center near Austin, Texas. It was much like stepping into the Starship Enterprise with technology that I’d yet to imagine even though I’d been writing extensively about assistive technology and Section 508. Now, with a growing interest in how the Baby Boomer generation and people with disabilities share a common interest in accessibility, I revisited IBM (virtually) to see what is on the company’s horizon.
Happily, the Smart House I experienced during my trip to the lab in Texas has been freed from its experimental walls. Smart Houses are springing up all over America and feature technology that makes life easier for older people who want to stay in their homes and for anyone who lives with a disability. Voice commands turn on lights and appliances. Refrigerators monitor food and drugs. Computers allow immediate connection to health care providers and family. As Smart construction become more ubiquitous and demand rises, the cost of such homes should come down, enabling more people to experience the enormous benefits of adaptive technology.
The great news is that IBM (and probably other tech giants) has moved out of the house and onto the streets with assistive technology. The company is partnering with a number of cities worldwide to create Smart Cities. Imagine entire communities in which people with disabilities can navigate in safety and with confidence. The technology already exists to make these metropolitan safe havens; it only takes the will of policy makers and dedicated resources to build the dream.
In Salerno, Italy, for example, the city is adapting existing infrastructure to integrate IBM technology that will enable the blind to navigate streets, ‘read’ signage and access public resources. Since Salerno is a very popular tourist Mecca, the digital magic that’s promised with the IBM partnership may make the picturesque city in southwestern Italy even more attractive to visitors of all abilities.
The historic Verdi Theatre will be just one venue outfitted for accessibility. Sensors embedded in a special parking area will communicate with canes used by the blind and help them navigate around barriers to the concert venue that first opened in 1872. There will also be technology to access cell phones that guide people around the site. Cell phone technology will take people touring through Salerno’s Old Town area, explaining the history and details of destinations once inaccessible to people with disabilities.
Smart City technology will be put to use to streamline traffic flow in Salerno and manage parking, among other convenience and safety features.
I remember touring the Mediterranean on a cruise ship that abounded with aging seniors. Many people were unable to enjoy the sites because physical disabilities prevented them from venturing to many historic sites they’d longed to see – Pompeii was particularly challenging in this regard. Today, technology could make those same cobbled and uneven streets virtually available and (almost) as satisfying as breathing in the air of ancient city of the (long) dead.
With assistive technology, the innovation of the private sector and collaboration of governments, new opportunities await the aging and disabled traveler. Smart cities are yet another step in the right direction, one that should be taken by municipalities that believe in accessible and inclusive living.
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