A full body 3D scan can be completed in less than one minute with ITRI's incredible "High Precision Automated 3D Scanner." And then there is the virtual piano, enabling lovely melodies to be played on a desktop using "VR 3D Gesture UI."

Furthermore, the "Pocket Chopstick Sanitizer" can kill 99.99% of pathogens through the compact UVC LED light disinfection module in just 90 seconds. These are just three of the 14 smart city-themed innovative technologies that ITRI exhibited at its pavilion

According to ITRI's Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (IEK), 6.3 billion people, or 70% of the world's population, will live in cities in 2050. The increasing population density in urban areas will create governance challenges in transportation, safety, the environment, and healthcare, thus highlighting the need for smart cities. IEK anticipates that smart city-related business opportunities will reach 400 billion GBP by 2020.

Dr. Chih-I Wu, General Director of ITRI's Electronic and Optoelectronic System Research Laboratories, pointed out that smart city applications are established under the framework of IoT and require rapid data collection, processing and transmission. This gives rise to new services, and Taiwan should seize opportunities associated with the development of smart cities, he said.

ITRI has devoted resources to the development of a platform that pilots smart city solutions in which hardware and software have been integrated, including smart healthcare, smart tourism, and smart shops. Each of these examples is helping to create core competitiveness for these industries, Dr. Wu explained.