A growing portion of the world’s population is moving to cities. By 2050, according to the United Nations, 68 percent of the human race will live in urban areas, representing an additional 2.5 billion people. This migration will require larger, better infrastructure and management, with innovative solutions rooted in high-tech materials, sensor networks and better data to help architects, designers, and planners work smarter.
Rice engineers are at the forefront of solving these problems through disruptive technologies, including advanced robotics, automation, the Internet of Things, structural dynamic systems, earthquake engineering, smart structures and strain sensing using nano-materials.