Innovation challenges

You’ve heard of robot vacuums – now, get ready to meet Sunderland’s smart grass mowers.

Our team is exploring an advanced CCTV strategy to keep you safe in our smart city.

We’re exploring rolling out ultrasonic sensors that can measure the water height either side of a trash screen in a culvert to see if it needs cleaning.

Our Smart City team is exploring ways to introduce smart gully sensors, keeping families and homes safe in extreme weather conditions.

Our team is looking at ways to retrofit sensors to existing bait boxes, measuring activity and tracking when bait needs replacing.

Battery powered sensors can be deployed across the city to measure dust levels at different sites.

By deploying smart noise sensors, we can measure sound levels in outdoor environments across Sunderland.

Soon, we’ll be exploring ways to utilise smart cycleway technologies, to improve the experience of cyclists in our city.

We’re exploring a range of smart solutions to improve the experience of drivers in Sunderland city centre.

A new pilot of smart sensors within lifebuoy holders will help keep you safer by the sea.

Sunderland’s advanced mobility shuttle trial will pilot three self-driving zero emission shuttles between the University of Sunderland City Campus, Sunderland Interchange and Sunderland Royal Hospital, helping design a more sustainable and accessible future for urban mobility.

Our team is working on a new app that will offer a window into activity across Sunderland, enabling residents and visitors to be fully connected in our smart city.

With improved data on bin fill levels our environmental services team can implement more effective scheduling for the emptying of bins, saving time and fuel.

We’re keeping council owned properties safe through smart sensors in pipes.

This project is not only environmentally responsible but also financially advantageous: the carbon reduction potential for 14 buildings is >1,000 tonnes per annum, with cost savings of around £40k per year through energy reduction efforts.

Our smart traffic sensors collect important data on traffic flow across Sunderland.

Using air quality sensors, we’re building an interactive map of air quality data across our smart city.

The Sunderland Smart City team has introduced assistive technologies in people’s homes to manage people’s care, health and wellbeing.

Solar-powered rainfall sensors connected to our LoRaWAN network enable real-time reporting on rainfall.

We’re making Sunderland a place to both work smarter and play smarter, with new smart playparks.

We’re working to support Sunderland’s aspiring entrepreneurs, with a programme to support the ambition to create 500 new technology startups underway.

Our programme to increase awareness of digital careers and opportunities is underway with Sunderland Software City, supporting the growth of Sunderland’s digital economy.

Our Sunderland-based startup accelerator helps young businesses bring ideas to life, boosting Sunderland’s digital economy.

Our 5G CAL pilot has successfully developed the UK’s first zero emissions automated logistics vehicle.