A 400-acre site on the outskirts of Denver will be home to a mixed-use neighborhood heralded as one of the most innovative neighborhoods in development in the United States. Peña Station Next will act as a test lab for a multitude of new technology including transparent TVs, advancements in smart kitchen technology, and an intelligent bus stop with self-driving buses.
Panasonic is partnering with the city of Denver on the project and is providing the technology that will be used in the neighborhood.
The transparent television, for example, was shown off by Panasonic at CES 2017 and, essentially, transforms a clear window or an opaque surface into a TV screen, the Denver Post reports. Panasonic showed off working models of the TV technology that included the door of a sake-wine cellar refrigerator, a tabletop, and windows.
Many of the advancements Panasonic is looking to make to already intelligent kitchens are geared toward automating the process of cooking a meal as much as possible. Selecting a recipe on the sake fridge door will automatically set up the necessary appliances, such as preheating the oven to the desired temperature. Kitchen counters also double as induction stove tops with built in sensors that adjust cooking temperatures so as not to burn the food.
The smart bus stop is one of the first pieces of technology that will actually be installed at Peña Station Next. The stop is integrated with two LCD displays showing information such as bus schedules and how far away the next bus is. The stop will be powered by solar energy. The same self-driving buses that are already in use in Helsinki will also be used in the Peña Station Next development.
The neighborhood has already been equipped with 53 intelligent LED streetlights and a parking lot covered with solar panels. Blanket WiFi is expected by spring and the smart bus stop should be in place by summer. The autonomous shuttles are expected to arrive at some point in February.
Related Stories
| May 2, 2013
BIM group proposes uniform standards for how complete plans need to be
A nationwide group of Building Information Modeling users, known as the BIMForum, is seeking industry input on a proposed set of standards establishing how complete Building Information Models (BIMs) need to be for different stages of the design and construction process.
| May 1, 2013
A LEGO lover's dream: Guide to building the world's iconic structures with LEGO
A new book from LEGO master builder Warren Elsmore offers instructions for creating scale models of buildings and landmarks with LEGO.
| May 1, 2013
World’s tallest children’s hospital pushes BIM to the extreme
The Building Team for the 23-story Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago implements an integrated BIM/VDC workflow to execute a complex vertical program.
| Apr 30, 2013
Healthcare lighting innovation: Overhead fixture uses UV to kill airborne pathogens
Designed specifically for hospitals, nursing homes, child care centers, and other healthcare facilities where infection control is a concern, the Arcalux Health Risk Management System (HRMS) is an energy-efficient lighting fixture that doubles as a germ-killing machine.
| Apr 23, 2013
Building material innovation: Concrete cloth simplifies difficult pours
Milliken recently debuted a flexible fabric that allows for concrete installations on slopes, in water, and in other hard to reach places—without the need for molds or mixing.
| Apr 19, 2013
Must see: Shell of gutted church on stilts, 40 feet off the ground
Construction crews are going to extremes to save the ornate brick façade of the Provo (Utah) Tabernacle temple, which was ravaged by a fire in December 2010.
| Apr 18, 2013
SOM, CASE team up to launch crowd-sourced apps library
SOM and CASE have formally launched AEC-APPS, the first crowd-sourced, web-based library for applications used by architects, engineers and construction professionals. This is a one-of-a-kind initiative in the AEC Industry and is a non-profit online community that allows digital tool users and toolmakers to share ideas, tips and resources.
| Apr 16, 2013
5 projects that profited from insulated metal panels
From an orchid-shaped visitor center to California’s largest public works project, each of these projects benefited from IMP technology.
| Apr 15, 2013
Using software and the power of the cloud to connect your back office to your field operations [webinar]
This webinar will focus on a new software subscription service that will help construction companies, general and specialty contractors connect their back office infrastructure with all of their field operations. The service will help capture, manage and report on the progress of existing construction jobs and help in the planning of new ones.
