The air filtration system is one of 15 products in every home provided by Samsung — including the AirDresser, a closet that can steam, steam, and sanitize clothes — all of which can be controlled with the SmartThings app. But smaller companies, in a country known for its electronics conglomerates, are also present.
Unmanned Solution, a 35-employee company founded in 2008, provides cleaning robots for the village, and South Korean start-up Superbin, with 89 employees, provides garbage collection services and recycling technology.
K-Water is the main player in this development, as it uses its latest technology to not only transform the wetlands (making them developable by applying tons of sand and sinking concrete piles), but also to transform the water in the Nakdong River to be used for hydropower, drinking water and other uses. The hydropower will power everything from homes to street lighting to sprinkler systems in the planned public areas.
With extensive data being collected to aid in healthcare planning, concerns about privacy and sharing personal information with governments and businesses have thus far been allayed.
“I haven’t heard any complaints from residents so far, but I know that people around the world can be defiant about disclosing their personal information,” said Mr. min. Nevertheless, he said, “a committee is drafting privacy guidelines and all information is encrypted.”
For Ms. Lee and her family, living in the Eco Delta Smart Village is a twofold experiment: for the planned city, but also for themselves.
“At first we thought it would be a challenge to come and live here as there isn’t much infrastructure like subways or bus stops and it’s hard to get food delivered,” Ms Lee said. “But it was so good for me, my sister and especially my parents to learn and get used to the technology. After all, this is the future.”
