Designing smart product-service systems for smart cities with 5G technology: the Polaris case study

This paper explores the issue of the role of design and digital prototyping in the development of product-service systems in the smart cities, particularly concerning the spread of wireless connectivity technologies such as 5G and their use for innovative orientation and displacement purposes in urban contexts. The first part of the paper reviews the technical and scientific literature to recount the main technological developments in smart cities with particular attention to the introduction of 5G to navigation systems. The second part analyzes a short collection of use cases to build smart systems for navigating, guiding, and orienting people in complex spaces. The collection and analysis of the cases help to identify the role of design (in the development of product-service systems for smart cities. The third part recounts Polaris, an interdisciplinary project involving design and computer science to develop an indoor navigation system designed for a smart university campus and smart cities. The project aims to realize tangible outputs that demonstrate the great potential offered by 5G, an intangible technology, which needs appropriate communication to future users. To do this, an advanced product/service has been designed, developed, and implemented capable of fitting into citizens’ living spaces and environments, adapting, and supporting the end users who “inhabit” them. The conclusions present a critical discussion on the opportunities and limitations encountered when the design is faced with the conception and implementation of project outputs to foster the acceptance of technology.