Design a better life

The Urban Operating System integrates city, traffic, security and emergency management into one platform.

The exhibition includes three sections, Smart City Public Platform, Smart Living and Smart City, covering areas such as urban planning, living and urban mobility. There are 58 works from 40 international design studios.

In the section of Smart City Public Platform, application systems analyze and share urban information collected from all sources, including individual smart phones, to provide better public service.

For the creativity industry, it also means possibilities for new formats as audiences around the globe can join any smart phone-powered event regardless of the locale and time.

The Global Choreography dance by artist Sander Veenhof and choreographer Marjolein Vogels is an example. The dance consists of 33 moves with a smart phone in hand. Dancers are guided by the augmented reality cubes in their smart phones. The cubes are centrally directed so people from around the world can join the dance simultaneously.

The pace of each participant will impact dancers across the world so every one contributes to a new dance upon joining.

"When it is used around the world, we can dance together and create a new piece of dance," says Veenhof.

The Smart Living Section presents professional sensors that can turn into smart wearable personal assistants to monitor personal health and emotions.

The biggest attraction for children and young women on site is the Necomimi by NeuroSky, a lovely looking headband that swings according to the wearer's moods.

With a MindWave brain wave sensor that detects brain waves, the cat ears stand straight when the wearer concentrates and face down when the wearer relaxes. When the wearer is delighted or particularly interested in something, the ears will swing back and forth.

Another highlight is the Eco Air Bubble that generates oxygen through the collaboration of human power, green plants and air quality monitoring.

Inspired by the communal fitness centers in the residential compounds in Beijing, Fei Jun, artist and founder of Interactive Beijing, remodeled the exercise machines to generate power for the air purification mechanism.

When people exercise, they are at the same time generating energy for the air purification system connected to the fitness facilities. Three chosen green plants produce fresh air while the indoor and outdoor PM2.5 levels are updated on the facade of the bubble.

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