FUTURE STREET IS HERE WITH WIFI CHARGING TABLES AND SMART BINS

Street Furniture Australia will contribute to Sydney’s Future Street installation with innovations for a smarter, more connected city and its people. The installation is sponsored by the Australian Government, with Angus Taylor, Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation to open the site tomorrow morning on October 12 on Alfred Street in front of Customs House.

Future Street, designed by the Place Design Group for the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), Internet of Things Alliance Australia (IoTAA) and Smart Cities Council Australia and New Zealand (SCCANZ), will show how the streets of the future may enhance urban lives.

Conversation starters include self-driving vehicles, with a range of street, landscape, IoT, utilities, transport, urban design and placemaking technologies and ideas in action from product partners Street Furniture Australia, WE-EF Lighting, Lawn Solutions, Andreasens Green, Playrope, Buddy, Ene Hub, Utillix, Itron, BYKKO and Telstra.

Street Furniture Australia will debut the PowerMe charging table, which allows users to charge their devices while working, meeting friends, relaxing or waiting for transport in public streets and parks.

“Running low on battery while you’re out and about can cause stress in our increasingly connected lives, hence the popularity of products like power bricks to stay agile and charged up on long trips around the city,” says Street Furniture Australia Marketing Manager June Boxsell.

“PowerMe ensures device owners won’t be cut off from the digital services they rely on, such as transport and banking apps. It is accessible to all device owners, requiring only a cable - and with wireless charging on the way for iPhone and already available with some Android devices, soon you’ll just need to place your phone on the tabletop.”

The company’s R&D team faced some challenges to prepare a charging device for the public realm. PowerMe is weatherproof, easily upgradeable for new technologies, integrates with existing seating, and folds shut to protect cables while charging is in progress.

When not fueling devices, it is a functional side table for your notebook and coffee. It can also be hooked up to become a wifi hotspot, and fitted with sensors to track seat usage or detect the local weather, as required by Councils and custodians. Future versions will have a solar power option.

PowerMe easily integrates with the new ARIA seating system, a modular suite that empowers place designers to seamlessly connect seats, benches, tables and corners to suit specific places and communities.

“Custom furniture is popular among the designers we work with as it allows landscape architects to better craft the user experience of a place, making it more hospitable and responsive to the needs of those who work, live and play there each day,” says Boxsell.

“The ARIA seating system allows for custom furniture arrangements, using standard parts. Our mission is to bring lasting enjoyment to public places, and this makes that so much more accessible for public spaces and projects where design time and budget is limited.”

Escola SmartBins will also debut at the Future Street in garbage and recycling iterations. They are solar powered, networked and geolocated.

The prototypes will demonstrate a fill-level sensor technology that allows custodians to check when bins are full and require cleaning. The bin will also record when it was last maintained, and send an alert if a fire is detected. It may also be fitted with the capability to track passing pedestrian traffic, or detect local weather.

“The Escola SmartBins include some game changing technology for public health, operations efficiency and the cleanliness of our cities,” says Boxsell.

Future Street runs from October 12-15 on Alfred Street, Circular Quay, in front of Customs House. Assistant Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation Angus Taylor will attend the official opening at 9am on October 12. All are encouraged and invited to join the event.

The Street Furniture Australia ARIA seating system, PowerMe wifi charging table and Escola SmartBin will officially launch in 2018.

Future Street is part of the 2017 International Festival of Landscape Architecture: The 3rd City to be held in Sydney from 12-15 October. The festival program includes a Conference, National Landscape Architecture Awards, Festival Party and a host of public and industry tours, exhibitions, activations, events and talks.

High res images at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B3aS8uPwJh7ONzRQa0tYTUF6dk0?usp=sharing