Dubai: Dubai is fast changing into a smart city and changing rooms cannot lag behind in going smart! Well, we are not talking about smart virtual dress changing rooms. It is the changing rooms on Dubai beaches that are going smart.
Smart changing rooms are the latest innovation of the same company, D Idea Media, which introduced Smart Palms, the palm-shaped sustainable solar hubs that offer free Wi-Fi service and charging points for smart devices, in Dubai’s parks and beaches.
Viktor Nelepa, founder and CEO of the company, told Gulf News that it has signed an agreement with the Dubai Municipality to install smart changing rooms on Dubai beaches.
“It is a socially responsible product which runs entirely on solar energy. Apart from being a public facility allowing beach users to change somewhere lockable and private, the structure has been designed to enable incorporation of potential vending machines or pop-up shop (kiosks) also powered by sustainable energy.”
Each dressing room is planned with two compartments, for male and female users. “The changing rooms have an alarm feature which sounds if the door is locked and there is no motion detected inside for five minutes, thus alerting in case of a medical emergency inside.”
“Around 20kW of energy will be generated per day. This will be sufficient to not only service the changing room but also power the wind poles situated next to the structure. These will be used to light up powerful LED floodlighting over the beach. So, there is lighting inside the changing rooms and the public areas around it as well.”
Nelepa said proper lighting on the beach could help the municipality to consider the possibility of permitting night-time swimming, which is currently banned in Dubai.
Pamela Nelepa, the PR and media coordinator with the company, said the firm is starting with the installation of two smart changing rooms on Umm Suqeim Beach 1. The installation of the first one was completed on Monday.
“In the same area on the beach, there are also two Smart Palms, which will turn the whole area into a smart beach, designed, manufactured and delivered by us in cooperation with the Dubai Municipality. This is in accordance with the vision of the leaders of Dubai to make this city one of the smartest by creating smart, sustainable, renewable and socially responsible products which are developed, designed and manufactured in the UAE.”
She said the plan is to extend the concept on all beaches in Dubai. “We are also providing advertising opportunity in the form of well-lit static banners around the changing rooms.”
The firm worked with Arabian Profile Limited in the industrial design and manufacturing of the changing rooms, wind poles and as well as the Smart Palms.
Smart features
Produces 20kW electricity daily, using solar power
Provides lighting inside and outside changing rooms
Sounds alarm if motion is not detected for 5 minutes
Features vending machines/pop-up shop
