Even Ice Water Now Powered by AI…'AI Unmanned Bottled Water Refrigerators' Appear in Hwaseong
Hwaseong Special City (Mayor Jung Myeong-geun) is expanding field-focused heat wave response services to prevent heat-related illnesses and protect citizens' health in preparation for prolonged summer heat waves.
From the 14th through the end of September, the city will install 'smart unmanned bottled water refrigerators' at three major stations with high foot traffic—Eocheon Station, Byeongjeom Station, and Dongtan Station—providing citizens with free chilled drinking water.
This project was designed to prevent citizen damage from prolonged heat waves and allow citizens exhausted by the scorching weather to conveniently access cool water nearby. In particular, by installing refrigerators at major stations with heavy citizen traffic, accessibility and user convenience have been enhanced.
The smart unmanned bottled water refrigerator is equipment that applies artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enable 24-hour use without separate management staff. When users undergo automatic response system (ARS) authentication via the phone number displayed on site, they go through a user verification process and bottled water is automatically dispensed.
Additionally, a smart usage management system is applied to provide one free bottle of drinking water per citizen per day while restricting duplicate collection. Through this, the city plans to provide water to more citizens, prevent indiscriminate duplicate use, and operate the system efficiently.
Hwaseong Special City plans to comprehensively analyze citizen usage patterns, satisfaction levels, and operational effectiveness during this pilot operation period. Based on the analysis results, the city plans to identify and develop additional smart disaster response services that can effectively address various disasters including heat waves and review whether to expand the program.
Mayor Jung Myeong-geun of Hwaseong Special City stated, "As the heat wave prolongs, meticulous responses that citizens can feel in their daily lives are important," and added, "Since we have installed smart unmanned bottled water refrigerators at major stations frequently used by citizens, I hope that a bottle of cool water helps alleviate the intense heat and protect people's health."