COIMBATORE: The city will soon get a '
smart tree' that will not just allow people to sit and rest under it but also provide wi-fi and charging facilities. The tree will be placed at
VOC Park grounds near the entrance.
The 'smart tree' will look like an actual tree but will be made up of fibre and zinc.
Heavy metal inside the trunk will be covered with fibre to get the look of a real tree and the leaves will be made out of zinc. The leaves will be painted with golden colour. The estimated cost of the 'smart tree' is 12 lakh.
A solar panel will be set up on top of the tree that will generate power and stored in a battery. There will be charging points for mobile phones and laptops. The panel will generate 1,500 watts of power every day.
It will be built across 600sqfeet and have five benches. "At least 30 people can seat there and use the wi-fi," said R
Maha Prabhu of J C Media enterntainment, the company that is entrusted with setting up of the tree. There will also be lighting in the area at night to give it an aesthetic look.
Activists said that the existing smart bench there is not used by the public. "People do not even use it. There is a basic design flaw in that as it does not provide any shade," said an activist.
R Satishkumar, another partner in the same company, said that the corporation wanted to change the design of the smart bench. "The idea was a smart tree and we decided to make it even look like a tree. We work a lot with filmmakers. So, we used a lot of help from art directors and have designed this. We have focused a lot on the aesthetics as well," he said.
The tree will be set up by Monday, said officials. "It is a pilot project and based on the response from the public, we will set up at least another 30 such 'smart trees'.
The design and space will change as per the location and requirement. But the idea will remain the same," said a corporation engineer.
Corporation officials said that there were several smart benches across the world. "Various designs are available. But a tree design is a first of its kind," said an official.
