-
'Smart Living' in Singapore
-
Residents in Yuhua are the first in Singapore to experience "Smart Living" in a Housing Board estate, with elements such as an elderly monitoring system to give caregivers peace of mind.
The trial started in April for 9,000 residents in nearly 3,200 flats, with the features to be progressively rolled out until 2018.
Under the programme, sensors are installed in homes where seniors live alone to track their movements. The elderly also have a mobile panic button that will alert caregivers and family members if irregular patterns are detected.
Families can also set utilities consumption targets, and they will be alerted if the electricity or water usage is too high.
This comes as Singapore embarks on a quest, launched in November 2014, to become a Smart Nation where technology is fully integrated into everyday life through the use of sensors and smart devices.
The HDB's Northshore Residences I and II in Punggol, to be ready in 2020, will be the first new project with smart infrastructure.
There are several smart home trials led by the private sector, including the 622-unit Luxurie condominium in Sengkang by M1 and Keppel Land, and CNQC's Visionaire executive condominium project in Sembawang.
Several districts have also been earmarked for trials, including one-north where driverless vehicles roam the roads.
Last month saw the setting up of the SGInnovate agency with areas of focus such as robotics, digital health, smart energy and digital manufacturing. In October, the Government Technology Agency, or GovTech, was launched to lead the technology push in the public sector. Among projects in the pipeline are a self-driving wheelchair and a smart walking stick with built-in sensors.
Walter Sim