STREET SENSE LAB | Low-cost robotic and sensor kits for climate-ready neighbourhoods

Street Sense Lab is a proposed project concept focused on the development and testing of low-cost robotic and sensor-based kits for climate-ready neighbourhoods.

The idea is to help cities collect and use street-level data in a practical, participatory and affordable way. Many urban transition strategies rely on general city-level indicators, while the real experience of citizens is shaped at the scale of the street, the school route, the local square, the bus stop, the market, the park and the everyday walking path. Street Sense Lab aims to bridge this gap by combining embedded systems, urban sensing, citizen science, youth participation and strategic foresight.

The project would design modular sensing kits, which could include fixed, wearable, bike-mounted or small mobile robotic units, depending on the needs and capacity of the consortium. These kits could collect data related to microclimate, thermal comfort, temperature, humidity, shade, noise, air quality, pedestrian experience, accessibility and public space use. The data would then be translated into simple visual outputs, local insights and practical recommendations for municipalities, urban planners, local communities and other transition actors.

Street Sense Lab is not only a technical sensing project. Its added value lies in connecting urban data with lived experience and local decision-making. The project would involve young people, citizens, schools, local organisations and municipal staff in mapping everyday routes and neighbourhood conditions. Through co-creation workshops, foresight sessions and pilot activities, the collected data would be used to explore possible interventions, such as cooler walking routes, safer school routes, improved public spaces, shaded mobility corridors, better neighbourhood accessibility and more inclusive local planning.

The concept is highly relevant for urban transition projects that address climate adaptation, 15-minute city approaches, sustainable mobility, public space quality, heat resilience, citizen science and evidence-based local policy. It can support cities in moving from abstract transition goals to practical, measurable and community-supported actions.

FU4E can contribute to the concept through its combined capacity in strategic foresight, youth and citizen engagement, non-formal education, applied research, communication, dissemination and embedded systems expertise. The organisation can support the design of participatory methodologies, local pilot mobilisation, foresight workshops, educational activities, communication tools and the translation of technical findings into accessible outputs for communities and policy actors.

FU4E is looking for municipalities, universities, urban labs, robotics and embedded systems researchers, climate adaptation experts, mobility researchers, GIS and data visualisation teams, citizen science organisations, schools, youth organisations and SMEs working on sensors, IoT or urban analytics. We are interested in joining or co-developing a consortium where technical innovation is combined with practical urban relevance, citizen participation and policy uptake.