You just got the job of your dreams, and you’re moving to your new city. You have a family, and you want to make sure you live in a good place.

You care about air quality, temperature, and sound levels in your area. If you live in a big area, information regarding these criteria may be unreliable since they track it in a different place.

The company “Current” has come up with an odd solution: make lamp posts smart.

Their lamp posts can monitor temperature, humidity, and air quality up to 120-180 feet around them. It doesn’t stop there. They can also monitor and notify drivers of nearby vacant parking spots and notify law enforcement of illegally parked cars.
This technology could also easily be integrated with the ShotSpotter network, which would monitor gunfire and notify those nearby via text.

This data could be used to optimize the flow of the whole city and make life safer.

Smart lamp posts are an example of how embedded systems could change entire cities. They educate us on how we move and what the environment is like.

Eric Cawley is an occasional blogger for Gary Stringham & Associates. Gary provides consulting and expert witness services in embedded systems such as robotics. Feel free to contact Gary at 208-939-6984.