Archinect - News

To address COVID-19, U.S. mayors want to invest in technology to reimagine how commercial buildings are used, recent study says

2020-09-17T11:05:00-04:00

According to Infrastructure, Technology and Mayors' Priorities for confronting a Health, Economic and Societal Crisis, a new U.S. conference of Mayors (USCM) study conducted in partnership with Siemens USA by The Harris Poll, the majority of mayors believe that investing in infrastructure is essential for both economic growth and to generate jobs.

"This survey shows that mayors are more committed than ever to embracing the sparks of innovation and technology with greater urgency to adapt, redefine and reimagine their cities in order to better serve local residents and advance economic recovery," said Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens USA.

Some of the key findings from the survey include:

Nearly all mayors surveyed (98%) expect their city’s operating budget to decline over the next 12-18 months, with two in three (66%) attributing all or most of the decline to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mayors’ immediate top investment priorities for economic recovery are investing in infrastructure to gene...

Flyability's Gimball: A bouncy, lightweight drone for safe, search-and-rescue building navigation

2015-02-12T20:33:00-05:00

Despite its odd appearance, the Gimball is the first collision-tolerant drone that could prove itself useful in a variety of applications, from everyday tasks to hazardous situations. Designed by Flyability, the Gimball recently won a $1 million prize in the UAE's Drones for Good international competition, which aims to transform emerging drone technologies into practical solutions to improve everyday living.

The Gimball's most outlandish feature is its strength. The drone's spherical lightweight cage enables it to bounce off obstacles and roll on any surface to keep itself stable in complex environments or indoor settings. It can also safely fly in close contact around humans while operating, thus making it possibly useful for tasks like delivering goods or becoming a potential aid for first-responders in emergency conditions like post-disaster search and rescue.

Equipped with an HD camera, the Gimball can be used as a safer alternative in conducting inspections in industrial facilit...

Healthcare.gov aside, government and tech are starting to get along

2013-12-04T15:00:00-05:00

At the intersection of these two domains – technology and civic life – a small and fascinating sector has been taking root for the last few years. [...] Together, these types of companies and organizations have loosely come to define "civic tech" – and the potential for a future where technology finally, seamlessly, significantly alters how we relate to government and our neighbors.

Not without its growing pains, the U.S. government is slowly learning to effectively use technology to connect to its citizens. The expanding field of "civic-tech" focuses on the sharing and distillation of government data, to grease the bureaucratic wheels and ramp up personal civic engagement.

Explore the world of civic tech with this interactive network map, courtesy of the Knight Foundation.