Coimbatore to get 24 more smart trees that you can charge your phone from

As the world is increasingly becoming smarter — from refrigerators to Television remotes, more household gadgets are IoT enabled to make our lives easier. But a smart tree is something that is unheard of. Chennai-based JC Media Entertainment, an advertisement company, has made this possible by installing a Smart Tree that has multiple charging ports and Wi-Fi access at VOC Park in Coimbatore.

The 10-feet-high artificial tree, made up of a fibre and iron frame is equipped with a Wi-Fi connection, charging ports and it is powered by an inbuilt solar panel. "In addition to all these facilities, the tree has 24x7 power back-up and a surveillance camera with a security guard. The 12 smart benches surrounding the tree are equipped with charging ports and 30 people can avail the services at a time," says R Maha Prabhu, the founder of JC Media Entertainment

The initiative is a public-private partnership between J C Media Entertainment and the Corporation of Coimbatore as part of the city's Smart Cities Mission, "The idea of a smart tree was initially pitched to us by the Corporation as they planned to construct one inside their campus. There weren't any takers for that project but we found the idea extremely interesting. When the town planners showed us the blueprint, we felt that it wasn't that interesting as they just envisioned a plain iron rod and solar panel on top. So we reworked and made it more alluring and interesting," adds Prabhu.

With just Rs 18 lakh as an investment, the company was able to construct their first smart tree in just three months, "We were insistent on providing facilities like Wi-Fi and charging ports so as to provide a good quality experience for the public," says Maha Prabhu. Needless to say, the towering tree with its glazing golden leaves which were erected in May has already invited curious bystanders, "The tree is unique, colourful and attractive. That is why the public response has been really good," Maha Prabhu states.

The company along with the government hopes to erect 24 more such trees in and around the city, "The response from the public has been good and we hope to finish the project within the next two months. The facilities in all these trees will be the same and but we will try out different designs for each tree," he concludes.