UK startups demo solutions for post-pandemic smart cities

A smart city testbed has been launched at the MediaCityUK district in Greater Manchester to show how cities can use the Internet of Things (IoT) and other technology to adapt in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. Solutions being demonstrated include interactive street furniture, passenger-counting technology and new cybersecurity tools.

MediaCityUK, a 200-acre mixed-use development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in Salford and Trafford, is partnering with the government-backed Connected Places Catapult and innovation accelerator UP Ventures on the testbed, which runs from this month until April 2021.

The programme will coach a cohort of six startup companies from across the UK...