centre:mk has unveiled a unique store focused on breaking down the barriers to and accelerating the early adoption of digital technology. Situated on Crown Walk, the Smart City Experience Centre is a joint initiative between the private and public sectors, serving as a shop window for consumers to experience and interact and robots and digital technologies.
The 3,870 sq ft Centre contains a number of robots and applications of AI to demonstrate how the technology can complement consumers’ every day lives rather than competing, with the objective being to reduce anxiety and improve adoption rates. Building on the international robotics competitions and robot trails sponsosred and hosted by centre:mk, the initiative seeks to position Milton Keynes as the UK’s number one location in which new technologies can be tested and refined in a real-world environment. This is currently one of the biggest barriers to the sustainable implementation of technology in key sectors such as healthcare and transport.
Highlights in the Centre include Pepper, a robot designed to provide information and infotainment solutions to visitors in a highly interactive humanoid form, and a robotic dog conceived to serve as an alternative to real animals, such as for surveying particularly inaccessible areas of buildings or supporting the emergency services. There are also two autonomous vehicles in centre:mk, one in the store and the other on the mall. These complement an autonomous bus trial operated by StreetCav that begins testing in the city in December, with service trials set to begin later next year.
The Centre also features a number of projects that centre:mk and its partners are currently testing, all of which are capable of attracting global investment into Milton Keynes while building and maintaining a high skill base. These include DronePort:MK’s drone technology, Smart City Data Platform, 5G Infrastructure, and a project led by the International Test and Evaluation Association investigating ways in which technology can be used to increase efficiency in hospitals to alleviate bed blocking.
Kevin Duffy, centre:mk’s Centre Director, commented: “Located at the heart of centre:mk in Milton Keynes, a city with a reputation for embracing innovations and the early adoption of new technologies, the Smart City Experience Centre puts robotics and AI front and centre to our 22m annual footfall. It will reach more people in a week that other traditional locations would need three months to achieve.
“The centre allows members of the public to explore new technologies, be excited by the potential that they represent and engage in a way that breaks down traditional barriers and perceptions really quickly. At the same time, the exepreince will provide the companies behind the innovations with highly valuable user feedback. We are very proud to be at the heart of this important win-win initiative.”
Cabinet Member for Economy, Sustainability and Innovation at Milton Keynes City Council, Cllr Shanika Mahendran, said: “We’re really proud to be part of this exciting project, which brings together cutting-edge smart city technologies in one place. It’s not always easy for everyone to understand how advances in tech benefit our communities, but this is our priority as a council in our smart city work. The MK Smart City Experience centre gives residents the opportunity to see first-hand the work we’re doing with partners to ensure that smart city tech benefits all of society.”
Launched at the culmination of the Milton Keynes AI Festival 2024, the Smart City Experience Centre builds on the success of centre:mk’s Electric Vehicle Experience Centre. The multi-brand EV showroom was at the destination for five years and contributed to Milton Keynes having an EV adoption rate of 30%, one of the highest in the UK.
