Development of safe and versatile Smart Poles for smart cities

Cities are increasing in area and population; with 56.2% of the current population living in urban areas, it is expected to increase to 68 % by 2050. This poses significant challenges that city governments must face regarding security, privacy, sustainability, mobility, and environmental issues. It is in this sense that the development of smart cities is increasingly important and necessary. A smart city is one in which information and communication technologies are applied so that its infrastructure guarantees sustainable development, improves the quality of life and participation of citizens and available resources are managed more efficiently. 

This allows its infrastructure to integrate data monitoring to process and share it in real time for use and analysis for timely decision making. According to the Consumer Technology Association, it is expected that by 2020, USD 34.35 billion will be executed in projects focused on the development of smart cities around the world.  

Since smart cities are aimed at being integrated infrastructures that allow data monitoring so that it can be processed and shared in real time with citizens and governments, they need secure elements that allow the incorporation of sensors for data acquisition, but at the same time serve to present this data to the public.  

Poles have been the structures from which the lights, electrical networks, data networks, and other devices are incorporated. These poles have been made of materials such as wood, metal, steel, concrete and, in recent times, fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP).  

Wooden poles have been widely used in countries like the United States, where a large part of the electrical networks is made up of them. This is due to its low cost and easy acquisition (Merschman et al., 2020). However, wood is an organic material, which degrades over time, causing it to lose its strength, increasing the probability of accidents.  

Similarly, steel or metal poles require constant maintenance to avoid corrosion caused by ultraviolet rays and rain, which considerably reduces their useful life, increasing costs. These types of poles are not dielectric; therefore, they conduct electricity and can be a risk. 

Concrete poles have better properties than the previous ones, a longer useful life, and are more resistant to environmental agents and corrosion. The disadvantage of this type of poles is that their weight can be around ten times that of other types of poles, and the logistics costs for their transport and installation are generally high. 

Finally, fiberglass reinforced polyester (FRP) poles are lightweight, corrosion resistant, UV resistant and have a useful life of around 50 years. These poles are safer to transport, install and for the public that interacts around them. In the event of car accidents, they absorb impacts better, in addition to being lightweight, thus reducing the risk of crushing. In that sense, FRP poles are the most suitable and safe for urban environments. The method to produce these poles uses resin made from recycled material, which also has a positive impact on the environment. 

Existing lighting poles generally adopt a lighting system composed of a lamp. This type of system is limited to lighting the streets, thereby missing out on the opportunity to provide information to the people.  

Purkayastha (Purkayastha et al., 2019) designed a system of smart poles using the internet of things (IOT). This system had solar panels, a battery, and was controlled by an Arduino Uno. Communication between the poles was carried out through LoRaWAN and GPRS, it also had an LCD display to display the information received.  

Konstantin (Konstantin et al., 2019) carried out a study of the behavior of the internal temperature of a smart pole, in order to guarantee that all electronic components work in the proper operating range, showing that the location of fans at the top of the pole improved their behavior.  

Achaliya (Achaliya et al., 2018) made a prototype to scale of a system of smart poles for the prevention of accidents on roads with blind curves. To do so, they were aimed at detecting stopped vehicles by means of ultrasonic sensors, which informed nearby smart poles so that it would give timely notice to drivers.  

Donato (Donato et al., 2018) carried out the safe and sustainable design of smart poles to be used with 5G wireless technologies. They analyzed the attenuation produced by the incorporation of the equipment in the smart pole, finding that the viability of its use for this type of wireless devices.  

Tat (Tat et al., 2018) conducted a feasibility study on the connectivity of smart poles based on the LPWA IoT Communication Platform for Industrial Applications, this communication protocol is characterized by being low consumption, which would have a significant economic and environmental impact.  

Zhang (Zhang et al., 2019) proposed a theoretical design of a hybrid smart pole that would integrate luminaires and an electric vehicle charging system based on renewable energies, mentioning that it is a viable option and can be managed through a cloud platform.  

Finally, Atif (Atif et al., 2019) performed the data analysis for the prediction and orientation of parking availability obtained with the implementation of smart poles at intersections in a simulation. 

This study proposes the development of a smart pole in FRP that is visually aesthetic, minimally invasive, adaptable to the environment and focused on people as the backbone of smart cities. This is an inclusive element that contributes to improving people's quality of life, wellbeing and safety and making a significant contribution to the environment.  

The smart pole is integrated into the urban infrastructure of smart cities as an informative means, using the robust structure that is traditionally used as lighting support, electrical distribution networks, antennas, which through the incorporation of sensors, cameras, LED lighting and composite materials partly made of recycled material, allow data acquisition and the display of information through electronic screens up to 360° and visual signals. This development will allow the average citizen and state agents to make informed decisions. 

The smart pole is made up of an external structure (translucent post in FRP), an internal structure that supports the electronic components (lighting, power and control) and electronic components.

In its development, the following environmental guidelines were considered: for the external structure (pole): time of use, type of raw material (recycled material),
In its development, the following environmental guidelines were considered: for the external structure (pole): time of use, type of raw material (recycled material), for the internal structure supporting the electronic components: recyclable material such as plastic and aluminum to the extent possible; and Electronic Components: Disposal of Waste Electrical & Electronic Equipment (WEEE), as defined by the regulations of each country.

Its requirements for operation were: Energy consumption: Use of LED technology, which is more efficient than other technologies. High performance power supplies with low losses. Positive visual impact: Design that is integrated with the urban development of the city, occupation of small areas aimed at minimizing the impact on sight and compliance with advertising regulations. Performance of maintenance activities: ease of changing electronic parts due to failure or deterioration.

The production requirements were ease of acquisition of raw materials, compliance with environmental requirements for suppliers, standardization of components to integrate into product families (universal design) Versatile design that provides ease of transport to reduce energy consumption and emission of particulate matter: Sectioned or modular poles. Packaging using recycled material.

technology has been developed in the use of an element that traditionally had a very specific application, it is a structure designed for the average citizen, visually aesthetic, minimally invasive, adaptable to its environment and the needs of the community, with the potential for global implementation that allows information to be displayed from inside the pole, without the need for external elements. This smart pole will change the way people view poles forever.

The incursion of 5G technology will require the strengthening of transmission networks, and the use of larger antennas in public spaces, to favor the geometry and dielectric materials of this smart pole (which do not generate interference) for its location in large road corridors, This improves its use for the dissemination of information and broadcasting informative signals and will allow the capture and transmission of a larger amount of data for remote management and monitoring purposes.

The smart poles are comprised of a translucent external structure and an internal structure within, which incorporates sensors, microcontrollers, developed control software, programmable lighting and remote management. Unlike other studies, technologies or developments, these components are protected inside the pole, being less susceptible to vandalism or damage due to environmental conditions.

Smart poles create iconic urban spaces as they interact with the people around them and provide information of interest from various sources such as sensors or control centers. This interaction brings the modern world to more people and connects them with cities and territories.

With the development of smart fiberglass poles, poles evolved to become architectural elements for urban landscape development. The concept of the pole changes from an element that collides with the environment, to an element that coexists with it, that contributes to bring it to life and give it color or, on the contrary, that can blend in with it.

The smart pole integrates various technologies from Industry 4.0 that are fundamental for the development of ecosystems for smart cities, cities that plan and guide their actions towards sustainability and inclusion, and that connect and adapt to the challenges and expectations of their inhabitants to guarantee common wellbeing, cities that include technology as part of the solution to their problems and as a generator of quality of life.

Smart poles in the near future, will give rise to developments focused on the environment, risk management, intelligent mobility, creating productive and competitive environments, citizen culture, safety, health, leisure and digital government.