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If you thought <keyword id="21135616" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="flying-cars" source="keywords">flying cars</keyword> were a distant fantasy or belonged only to the realm of Harry Potter, we have some news for you! The American state of <keyword id="20120516" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Minnesota" source="keywords">Minnesota</keyword> has taken a step closer to making them a reality of the present, as it is set to formally recognise flying cars as a legitimate category of vehicles allowed to use its roads.<br /><br />In a foresightful move, <keyword id="21773690" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Minnesota-Governor" source="Orion">Minnesota Governor</keyword> <keyword id="4300994" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tim-Walz" source="Orion">Tim Walz</keyword> recently signed a bipartisan transportation bill package into law. This legislation includes a provision for <keyword id="21773686" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="roadable-aircraft" source="keywords">roadable aircraft</keyword> — essentially flying cars.<br /><br />Key regulations within the bill outline the process for state registration of these roadable aircraft, thus paving the way for their use on Minnesota’s roads and highways.<br /><br />Under the new legislation, drivers of roadable aircraft must follow the same traffic rules as other vehicles, including cars, trucks, bicycles and motorcycles. This will ensure that flying cars, despite their dual capabilities, are integrated safely into existing traffic systems without causing disruptions or hazards.<br /><br />Minnesota is the second American state to pass such legislation. New Hampshire was the first to pass a law for state registration of roadable aircraft back in 2020. It was aptly named the ‘<keyword id="21773689" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jetson-Bill" source="Orion">Jetson Bill</keyword>’, after the iconic cartoon series.<br /><br /><keyword id="21773687" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samson-Sky" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Samson Sky" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Samson Sky">Samson Sky</keyword>, the company behind the <keyword id="807717" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Switchblade" source="Orion">Switchblade</keyword> flying sports car, has been advocating for states to pass laws permitting flying cars to legally operate on roads, enabling them to reach airports for takeoff. This would be a crucial step for the practical use of flying cars, bridging the gap between traditional road travel and air travel.<br /><br />Looking ahead, two US companies, Samson Sky and Alef, along with two European companies, Pal-V and Klein, are set to begin production of flying cars by 2025. These companies are at the forefront of what could become a revolutionary shift in how we think about personal transportation.<br /><br />The inclusion of flying cars in Minnesota’s legislative framework reflects a broader trend of innovation in transportation. As technology advances, the integration of roadable aircraft could lead to reduced traffic congestion, shorter travel times, and new opportunities for urban planning and development. But on the flip side, the adoption of flying cars also raises important questions about infrastructure, air traffic management and environmental impact.<br /><br />Nevertheless, Minnesota’s bold step may inspire other states and countries to consider similar legislation, ultimately paving the way for a future where flying cars are a common sight, seamlessly blending the convenience of road travel with the speed of flight.<br />

USA’s Minnesota to formally accept flying cars as a category of vehicles allowed to use its roads!

<p><em><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/insiderpicks">Insider Picks</a><span> </span>writes about products and services to help you navigate when shopping online. Insider Inc. receives a commission from our affiliate partners when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/2PIN5Ce" target="_blank" title="I love using my ecobee Switch+ Smart Light Switch (currently $79.99 on Amazon) to turn off kitchen lights when no one is around. It's saved me a lot of money already." rel="noopener"><span style="color: #000000;"><strong><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Amazon</span></p><p class="caption">I love using my ecobee Switch+ Smart Light Switch (currently $79.99 on Amazon) to turn off kitchen lights when no one is around. It's saved me a lot of money already.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></span></a></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><span style="color: #000000;"><strong>A high-quality smart light switch should be easy for even a novice to install, have an auto shut-off function, and feature an intuitive app that helps you automate your home.</strong></span></li><li><strong>The </strong><a href="https://amzn.to/2PIN5Ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ecobee Switch+ Smart Light Switch (currently $79.99 on Amazon)</a><strong> turns off my kitchen lights a minute after someone leaves the room and has Alexa so I can voice-operate the connected devices around my house and set timers while cooking.</strong></li><li><strong>Though it's more expensive than most other smart light switches (<a href="https://amzn.to/2PIN5Ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">currently $79.99 on Amazon</a></strong><strong>), the Switch+ is backed by the user-friendly ecobee app and comes with a one-year limited warranty.</strong></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ever since Hanna-Barbera gave us </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Jetsons</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in the early '60s, we've had an idea of what the perfect automated home of the future could be like. Thanks to the many smart home devices on the market, home automation has never been more attainable. But I don't think even Hanna-Barbera could've imagined that we'd be able to <em>talk</em> to light switches to access a virtually limitless database of information and controls. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet, this is exactly what the <a href="https://amzn.to/2PIN5Ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ecobee Switch+</a> can do.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It's a smart light switch made by ecobee, a Canadian home automation company founded in 2007. The company is best known for its smart thermostats found in residences and businesses alike. Since my ancient home's wiring isn't compatible with <a href="https://amzn.to/2Wjswyr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">its smart thermostat</a>, I decided to test out the <a href="https://amzn.to/2PIN5Ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ecobee Switch+ Smart Light Switch with Alexa built in (currently $79.99 on Amazon)</a> instead and see how it holds up.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-smart-outlet" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The best smart outlets you can buy</a></em></p><h2>Specs</h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Switch+ works with any lights that are controlled by a single switch and have a neutral (usually white) wire. To check compatibility, turn off power to your current switch at the breaker, remove the wall plate, and check for a neutral wire before buying the Switch+.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The smart light switch works with Alexa-enabled devices (since it has the system already built in), Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT, as well as a mobile app for iOS and Android. The light switch can be used for interior and exterior lights, and the app has separate settings and features for each set.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Switch+ has several buttons that control Alexa (putting it on Do Not Disturb mode, turning it off, and more) as well as indicator lights that let you know Alexa is responding. There's also a s</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">peaker, occupancy sensor, old-fashioned on/off button for the light, and an optional night light at the base that makes finding the Switch+ easy at night.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In terms of set-up tools, the Switch+ comes with a wall plate, four wire nuts, and two mounting screws.</span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-smart-outlet" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></p><h2>Set-up process</h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I had the smart light switch for a few weeks before I got around to installing it. I kept procrastinating because ecobee advertises that installation only takes 45 minutes, so I assumed that with my novice skills, I could expect an hour and a half of struggling. It didn't help that the installation guide is covered with scary warnings about electrocution hazards. But, in the end, my apprehensions were unfounded. The whole process took me 30 minutes and I felt like a capable handyman afterward.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For installation, you need both Phillips and flathead screwdrivers. Pliers aren't necessary, but I found they helped for straightening out the wires. But before you do anything, you must, <em>must</em> turn off the breaker that supplies power to the light switch you're replacing. For this reason, you might want to install the Switch+ during the day when you have natural light to help you see or have a good flashlight (and holder) or buddy nearby.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Next, you remove the old switch and identify the wires you'll be using. You then connect the wires to the Switch+ using the included wire nuts. Then, you fit the wire nuts into the wall, mount the Switch+, turn the power back on, and test it out. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There's no need to memorize the above steps, I'm just trying to be helpful here. Thankfully, Ecobee provides incredibly easy-to-follow steps and videos to guide you through the process. There's even a lesson on how to work with wire nuts, which I needed. Overall, the process was painless.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-smart-light-bulbs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The best smart light bulbs you can buy</a></em></span></p><h2>What makes the smart light switch stand out</h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At first, I had a long list of negative adjectives in my head to describe the Switch+ -  ridiculous, extravagant, bougie, and so on. Why would I need a light that's connected to Alexa? It just seemed like another smart gadget that my five-year-old would be able to use to drive me nuts. But over time, I learned to use the light switch to my advantage.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">My favorite use of the Switch+'s Alexa capability was cooking. When following recipes or making several dishes at once, it's helpful to have a timer. Previously, I would set an alarm on my phone, but that requires the use of my busy hands. But with the Switch+ nearby, I was able to set the timer without skipping a beat.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The ultimate dad move is walking around and turning off lights to shave pennies off the electric bill - which I am not ashamed to admit doing. But now I don't have to because </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">I can set the light to turn off when no one is in the room. Through the app, you can choose to have the light turn off automatically one to 60 minutes after someone leaves the room. If I had a nickel every time it worked like a charm...</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Switch+ uses built-in motion detection sensor to turn the light on when someone enters the room. You can choose to have the light turn on whenever motion is detected; with daylight detection, it will only turn on when there isn't natural light so the lights don't come on at 3 p.m. when someone gets home. I chose to only have the light on when the room was dark. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I also like that the app offers a vacation mode. With this feature, you enter the dates and times you'll be on vacation, and the app makes it so each of your connected ecobee products gives the appearance that someone is home while you're away. For example, when vacation mode is engaged, my kitchen light turns on and off randomly to make it look like I'm there.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em><strong>Read more</strong>: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/philips-hue-light-strip-plus-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This $80 light strip adds accent lighting wherever you need it - here's how I use it around my home</a></em></span></p><h2>Cons to consider</h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The "Smart On" function worked well, but I wish I could adjust the level of sensitivity to ambient daylight. There were times when it was overcast outside and I wasn't getting as much light as I wanted. Overall though, I'd prefer that the switch err on the side of not turning on because I kind of like the environment and would rather not overuse resources.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you're buying the Switch+ for its bumping speaker, you'll be disappointed. The sound quality is not impressive, which is to be expected from such a small speaker. However, it does get up to 90 decibels from a foot away. I found the speaker to be good for alarms and information, but not music. </span></p><h2>The bottom line</h2><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Overall, the Switch+ is a fun addition to my household. My favorite part is not having to worry about turning the kitchen light off. And I've slowly found ways to use Alexa to my advantage, like setting timers and telling my robotic vacuum to get to work. I'd recommend the ecobee smart light switch to anyone interested in integrating smart lighting into their overall Jetsons-like arrangement.</span></p><p><strong>Pros:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Eco-friendly because it can turn off lights, works with Alexa and other popular smart home systems, vacation mode makes potential intruders think someone is home, smart capabilities adjust the amount of light depending on weather, easy to install</span></p><p><strong>Cons:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Expensive for the category, non-adjustable sensor sensitivity, speaker isn't ideal for music</span></p><h3><a href="https://amzn.to/2PIN5Ce" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong>Buy the ecobee Switch+ Smart Light Switch on Amazon for $79.99</strong></a></h3><p class="tagline"><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/5-biggest-questions-around-amazons-new-grocery-chain?IR=T&amp;itm_source=businessinsider&amp;itm_medium=ctgr_bii&amp;itm_term=ctgr_leadgen&amp;itm_content=ecommerce&amp;itm_campaign=5-biggest-questions-around-amazons-new-grocery-chain"></a></p>

This $80 smart light switch automatically turns off lights after you leave a room so I can finally stop patrolling my home

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Vanity Fair</span></p><p class="caption">Sebastian Thrun</p></div><p></p></div></div>Flying cars are coming to skies near you in the foreseeable future if Sebastian Thrun, former Google executive and founder of the personal flight company Kitty Hawk, gets his way.</p><p>There is one thing that could seriously delay Thrun's Jetson style flying cars, and that's safety.</p><p><span>"I honestly think safety is the paramount thing for this entire concept, </span>if we screw it up it would put it off for decades," said Thrun during his appearance at <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/10/vf-summit-livestream">Vanity Fair's New Establishment Summit </a>on Wednesday.</p><p>Kitty Hawk has already run over 1,000 test flights, and Thrun said that thankfully, no one had been hurt, but that all the tests had been conducted at low heights over water. When Average Joes are reaching altitudes of 1,000 feet or more on their way to work, the stakes are a lot higher. </p><h2>Fewer obstacles in the sky</h2><p><span>Thrun sees the air as a safer space than the ground, because, very simply, there are fewer things to hit. He noted that the 30,000 car crashes that happen every year go largely under the radar, but that if they all happened on the same day, the news would be everywhere. Thrun had a close friend pass away in a car crash when he was 18, and getting safety right is incredibly important to him. "I take issue with the lack of safety. Even if you're used to it, it doesn't mean it's right," said Thrun. </span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kitty Hawk</span></p><p class="caption">The Kitty Hawk Flyer.</p></div><p></p></div></div>He took the Vanity Fair stage alongside Kitty Hawk engineer Cameron Robertson, one of the inventors of the <a href="http://www.aerovelo.com/ornithopter-summary/">Snowbird Human-Powered Ornithopter</a><span>, the world's first human-powered flapping wing aircraft. Roberston is part of the team working to bring Kitty Hawk's recreational vehicle, "Flyer", to market as soon as next year. </span></p><p>Roberton is taking the same testing approach with the Flyer that he did with the <span>Ornithopter, using every single flight test as a way to discover the thing the team needs to learn most. </span>He said taking a ride on Flyer is like a dream come to life, and that he gets butterflies every time he goes up. Right now, the team is focusing on making flight as easy as possible, and an enjoyable experience for every rider.</p><p>Price and delivery date for the Flyer are to be determined, but consumers can expect it to hit the market at some point next year. The vehicle will only be for recreational purposes at first, and Thrun was quick to point out that cars were only for recreation when they were first introduced, allowing for society to learn to use them and become orientated with the new mode of <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">transportation</keyword>. </p><p class="tagline"><div id="categorypromo"><p><h2><span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/intelligence/top-5-disruptive-trends-shaping-transportation-and-logistics">Click here to receive a FREE download of <em>The Top 5 Disruptive Trends Shaping Transportation and Logistics</em> from BI Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service.</a></span></h2></p></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/6-things-bill-gates-accurately-predicted-back-in-1999-microsoft-tech-book-business-speed-thought-2017-7">6 things in tech today that Bill Gates accurately predicted back in 1999</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

Sebastian Thrun on flying car safety: 'If we screw it up it would put it off for decades'

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p>On February 18,<span>&#xa0;a throng&#xa0;reporters&#xa0;and cameramen gathered at the&#xa0;<span>northwest corner of 16th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan to watch&#xa0;<span>New York City mayor&#xa0;</span><span>Bill de Blasio make a phone call.</span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span>Leaning toward a sleek, metallic tower&#xa0;that looked more at home&#xa0;in "The Jetsons" than&#xa0;the streets of New York,&#xa0;<span>de Blasio dialed "311" to showcase the free phone calling capability of LinkNYC, a network of free WiFi hubs that will eventually blanket the entire city.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>"LinkNYC will be the WiFi network New York City deserves,"&#xa0;<span>de Blasio said during a short press conference after the demonstration.</span>&#xa0;"It will be the biggest and fastest network in the world and completely free of charge."</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>Over a dozen of these hubs, or&#xa0;"Links," are already operational on street corners in Manhattan. There will be 510 Links installed in all&#xa0;<span>five of New York City's main boroughs by July. And e</span>ventually there&#xa0;will be over 7,500 Links accessible to the 8.5 million citizens of the city that never sleeps.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>"In 2016 internet access is not a luxury,"&#xa0;<span>de Blasio said. "</span>It's not something optional. It's something everybody needs."</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>LinkNYC isn't the first project to bring free public WiFi to an entire city - cities around the world like Taipei and&#xa0;Helsinki&#xa0;already offer free public WiFi that's faster than the internet service many Americans pay for at home.&#xa0;</span></span></span></span><span><span><span><span>But LinkNYC is the only public WiFi network of its scale&#xa0;that's&#xa0;promising gigabit internet speeds,&#xa0;the fastest kind of connection that's commercially available.</span></span></span></span></p><p><span><span><span><span>Gigabit is so fast - you&#xa0;can&#xa0;download an HD movie in 7 seconds - that the&#xa0;latest iPhone isn't even capable of accessing half of its&#xa0;available&#xa0;speed. </span></span></span></span>"For the first time in the history of the internet, your device is the bottleneck," Jen Hensley, the general manager of LinkNYC, told Tech Insider.</p><h2><span>Huge advertising opportunities balanced with&#xa0;privacy concerns</span></h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><p><span>LinkNYC is set up to be completely funded by advertising and will cost nothing to the user or taxpayers.</span><span>&#xa0;Hensley, who is employed by Intersection, the parent company of LinkNYC, stressed that the goal of the network is to offer a "pure internet experience," which means ads won't actually be shown on your device.</span></p><p><span><span>Instead, ads will be displayed on the two 55-inch&#xa0;screens&#xa0;on the sides of each Link. Hensley described the advertising model as "</span><span>definitely a first of its kind." Over the life of its 12-year contract - which promises 4,500 Link installations in four years and eventually more than 7,000 Links total - LinkNYC expects&#xa0;to&#xa0;eventually generate over $500 million in revenue through ad partnerships and sponsorships. That's quite a bit more than the $40 million a year existing phone booth ads generate. LinkNYC's own network deployment costs are expected to cost $200 million.</span></span></p><p><span><span>The appeal for businesses, especially local merchants that wish to advertise a sale or happy hour down the block, is obvious.&#xa0;</span></span>"We think it will work," Hensley said. "We think the scale of digital advertising in New York, one of the world's biggest media markets, is extremely compelling."</p><p>LinkNYC's network&#xa0;will help advertisers tap into foot traffic around&#xa0;specific neighborhoods. Hensley stressed that even though certain data is collected on an aggregate level, LinkNYC isn't snooping on&#xa0;all of the web traffic that goes through its network - for now.</p><p class="p1">"We have access to some, not all of that data," she said.&#xa0;"We're not monitoring what websites people go to right now. That's not currently part of the strategy. But we will gain insights into how people use the network and how people move through the city. And we think that's where there's a lot of value."</p><p class="p1"></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div>When pressed about exactly the&#xa0;kind of user data LinkNYC accesses, Miles Green, the&#xa0;<span>director of infrastructure engineering at Intersection, said anonymous information will be gathered from devices that connect to the network to help inform advertisers.</span><p class="p1">"We will use anonymous, aggregated information from device IDs about area demographics to build profiles of specific locations that's valuable to advertisers," Green said. "We could understand if an area skews male or female, and we'll know, for example, if the Nets are playing or there's a Justin Bieber concert happening at the Barclay's Center. We will never sell personal information or share with third- parties for their own use."</p><p class="p1">Beyond advertisers, the data that will funnel&#xa0;through LinkNYC's&#xa0;network will&#xa0;be a gold mine for any company&#xa0;or hacker looking to get their hands on someone's personal information.&#xa0;</p><p class="p1">That's why LinkNYC has a separate WiFi network it's offering that's encrypted. Anyone can join the main public network, but that runs the risk&#xa0;of having any non-encrypted web traffic (anything without the little padlock icon next to the URL in your web browser) exposed&#xa0;to others.&#xa0;"T<span>his is the risk of an open network anywhere," Green said.</span></p><p class="p1"></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span>Only iPhones and iPads can get on&#xa0;LinkNYC's private, encrypted network for now due to Android's lack of support for technology called Hotspot 2.0, which the network uses to authenticate with devices. Besides the added safety, another&#xa0;benefit of the encrypted network is that once you've joined at one Link, your Apple device&#xa0;will automatically connect whenever it gets near any&#xa0;Link in the city.</span><p class="p1">LinkNYC is able to facilitate this digital handshake by installing its own certificate&#xa0;on iPhones, which the user&#xa0;has to manually approve with his or her passcode. The certificate installation process used by LinkNYC may be convenient, but such certificates are capable of infecting Apple devices with malware,&#xa0;according to&#xa0;Will Strafach, an experienced iPhone hacker and&#xa0;CEO of <a href="http://sudosecuritygroup.com/">mobile security firm Sudo Security</a>.&#xa0;"It's not good for run of the mill users," he said. "You don't want them getting used to installing certificates. They should view any certificate that's trying to be installed as potentially sketchy."</p><p class="p1">Green, Intersection's&#xa0;director of infrastructure engineering, said that&#xa0;the certificate used by LinkNYC is safe and only intended to encrypt web traffic.&#xa0;"You do want to think twice when you're installing something on your machine, but we've done everything we can to ensure that we're doing it in the way that the internet secures itself," he said. "It's the same kind of process that you use when you visit a website to validate the authenticity of something." He also acknowledged that the need for a certificate to access the encrypted network will not be required as soon as it's technically possible to remove.</p><h2 class="p1"><span>The smart city of the future</span></h2><p class="p1"><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p class="p1"><span>34 million Americans, or</span><span>&#xa0;10% of the U.S. population, still don't have basic broadband access, </span><a href="https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/broadband-progress-reports/2016-broadband-progress-report">according to the FCC</a><span>. <a href="https://comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/uploads/documents/Internet_Inequality.pdf">A 2014 study</a> by the city of New York found that nearly 30% of&#xa0;citizens lacked internet connectivity faster than dial-up.</span></p><p class="p1"><span>And LinkNYC won't replace broadband at home for most people. Each Link tower only has a signal radius of 150 feet, which means that the network is&#xa0;strictly intended for public use. But given how ridiculously&#xa0;fast&#xa0;and easy to use the network is, Links could become sought after pockets of WiFi that save people from cellular data plan caps and signal drop-outs.</span></p><p class="p1"><span>When you begin to look at all of the players involved, making it easier for people to get online is only a piece of what LinkNYC is about.&#xa0;<span>Mapping web traffic patterns and the ebb and flow of devices as they move through the city could inform everything from smart cars to law enforcement.&#xa0;</span><span>"I really think it's about order of magnitude change in what citizens can expect from the streets of their city," Intersection's Hensley said.</span></span></p><h2>All roads lead back to Google</h2><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><span>The roots of LinkNYC can be traced all the way back to Alphabet, the multi-billion-dollar tech conglomerate&#xa0;that owns Google.</span><p><span>In May&#xa0;2014,&#xa0;</span>the de Blasio Administration announced a competition&#xa0;for proposals on how to replace New York's thousands of old payphones with state-of-the-art WiFi hubs. Six months later, it announced that the&#xa0;winner of the multi-year-long contract was LinkNYC.</p><p>At the time, the two main companies behind LinkNYC&#xa0;were Control Group, a tech and advertising consulting firm, and Titan, the outdoor advertising giant responsible for all of the ads on the city's existing payphones.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"></div><p></p></div></div>It wasn't until September 2015 that Sidewalk Labs, an urban development startup created by Google (before it was called in Alphabet), came into the picture. Under the leadership of Dan Doctoroff, who previously served as&#xa0;president of Bloomberg LP and&#xa0;was New York City's&#xa0;deputy mayor of economic development, Sidewalk Labs led the merger of Control Group and Titan to become a single entity called Intersection.<p><span>To add another layer of corporate complexity to the mix, Intersection partnered with&#xa0;CIVIQ Smartspaces, Qualcomm, and Antenna to create&#xa0;a consortium called CityBridge, a group&#xa0;directly responsible for everything from </span><span>designing the</span><span>&#xa0;Link towers to maintaining its robust network.</span></p><p>Within CityBridge, Intersection&#xa0;is responsible for the day-to-day management and deployment of LinkNYC's aggressive rollout.</p><p>Sidewalk Labs provides financial support - it remains a minority investor - as well as guidance&#xa0;from Doctoroff, who also serves as chairman of Intersection. And most importantly, the startup's staff can provide&#xa0;expertise in navigating the government&#xa0;bureaucracy and stringent regulations LinkNYC has managed to fly through in less than a year.</p><p class="p1"><span>Sidewalk Labs&#xa0;is developing what Doctoroff calls&#xa0;the "completely connected streets" platform, "which would collect ground data from streets and sidewalks to inform decisions about things like parking, lane-changing, and traffic-enforcement," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-sidewalk-dan-doctoroff-2016-2">according to Business Insider</a>. &#xa0;</span></p><p class="p1"><span>Outside of LinkNYC, Sidewalk&#xa0;is currently working with 10 cities on the U.S.&#xa0;<span>Department of Transportation's "</span><a href="https://www.transportation.gov/smartcity">Smart City Challenge</a>," which plans to fund "<span>bold, data-driven ideas to improve lives by making transportation safer, easier, and more reliable." Links&#xa0;are equipped with Bluetooth beacon technology that can track phones and other devices as they move through the city&#xa0;(it's an opt-in process), which could eventually make&#xa0;Sidewalk's other initiatives&#xa0;smarter.</span></span></p><p class="p1">Alphabet's connection to LinkNYC may be distant on paper, but its involvement is obvious in the end product millions of residents and tourists&#xa0;will come into contact with on the streets of New York. Besides a USB charging port and phone number dialing pad powered by Vonage, each Link&#xa0;has its own Android tablet with free access to Google Maps and Google search.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/google-science-projects-sidewalk-labs-2015-6">Here are all of Google's awesome science projects - that we know about</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="ZtN3hsdTqYK9TxBIngQEpdp4rrLU4ouo" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

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