An ongoing tough journey of building Da Nang into a smart city has been witnessing the birth of many highly practical products, and especially, the majority of them are the ‘brainchildren’ of talented young people.

Eye-catching bikes under the ‘UdBike Share’ project developed by a team of engineers from the Research and Technology Transfer Centre at the University of Da Nang

‘UdBike Share’, a public bike share (PBS) scheme which bicycles are made available for shared use to individuals on a short term basis for a certain price, officially made its debut in late November 2018.

It took about 4 months for a team of engineers from the Research and Technology Transfer Centre at the University of Da Nang to complete their idea. Their efforts were poured into finishing hardware and software applications.

The bike-share is viewed as a form of transit to increase connectivity by the use of means of public transportation as well as to satisfy the increasing demand for short distance travel amongst visitors to a city. Moreover, this service is considered a good alternative to motor vehicles because it eases traffic congestion and reduces air and noise pollution in urban areas.

Engineer Phan Minh Tam, project manager said: “The bike sharing system can be a superior and economical solution to reduce urban traffic congestion, thereby creating a flexible lifestyle, and ensuring greener, smarter urban planning as well”.

A QR Code is placed on the number plate or back fender of the bike which, when scanned, allows users to unlock and rent the vehicle. Users can borrow a bike from a ‘dock’ and return it at another dock belonging to the same system.

The payment methods are diverse, convenient as rental fees are paid by the hour, day or month electronically via e-wallets or via QR codes, or in-person with cash at service support stations located at restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and other places.

‘UdBike Share’ has been implemented on a trial basis at the districts of Hai Chau, Ngu Hanh Son and Son Tra.

It is expected that in the first stage, about 30 - 40 ‘docks’ will be set up, with each accommodating 5 - 10 bikes near bus stops, tourist attractions, densely populated areas and along major downtown streets which earmark lanes exclusively for bicycles such as Bach Dang, Tran Phu, Tran Hung Dao, Vo Nguyen Giap, Nguyen Van Linh, Hung Vuong, Le Duan, Pham Van Dong, Vo Van Kiet and Nguyen Van Thoai.

Another outstanding product is the ‘Smart trash can’, jointly created by students come from the universities of Economics, and Technology and Education, for the sake of environmental protection.

Nguyen Thanh Hai, a student of the Faculty of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Technology and Education, the group leader, said, “Environmental pollution is becoming an extremely urgent problem. Sadly, littering on roads is still common in public places. In addition, Industry 4.0 technology is the current trend in the automation and data exchange, including the Internet of Things (IoT) virtual space. The use of machines is widely applied in all areas of life so as to enhance product quality, increase labour productivity and change people’s lives for the better. Because of the above reasons, ‘Smart trash can’ was born as a way to raise the public awareness of environmental protection and making the city more beautiful”.

The smart trash can shows off such outstanding features as sensor, movement, data transfer to the server and communication.

Made from environmentally friendly materials, the product can be moved on steep hills easily through a remote control device, and makes a sound that urges people to put garbage in the trash.

In detail, users do not need to go near the trash to put garbage in. After moving close to users, the sensor-equipped trash can automatically opens the lid, gives the greetings and reminds them to put garbage properly. After the trash can is full, it is able to transmit the information to the server, and users, thereby, take the full dustbin out to throw the garbage.

Up to now, the ‘smart trash can’ product has been introduced at the Smart Campus 2019 contest and the V2WORK Enterprising Ideas Competition. In addition, this product has been put into use on a trial basis at the Sun World Ba Na Hills, and received quite good feedback from visitors.

By MAI HIEN- Translated by ANH THU