# Ep. 21 | Carnegie Mellon's Karen Lightman on the Intersection of Tech and Policy for Smart Cities

- Show: [Moore's Lobby](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby)
- Published: 2021-04-01
- Length: 35m
- Episode: 6
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for
- Listen: https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/podcast/carnegie-mellon-metro21-smart-city-institute-karen-lightman-intersection-of-tech-and-policy

## Summary

Karen Lightman, Executive Director of Carnegie Mellon's Metro21 Smart Cities Institute, explains that smart city deployment requires co-creation with communities and rigorous real-world testing in 'living sandboxes' rather than just theoretical design. She highlights the danger of 'falling in love with a chip design' that lacks market viability, citing the MEMS industry's early struggles, and emphasizes the need for security-by-design from the chip level up. Lightman details how Metro21 uses machine learning to optimize meal delivery and fire inspections in Pittsburgh, demonstrating how technology must be paired with policy and equity to solve real urban problems.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for#t=1) Introduction: Karen Lightman and the Smart City Concept
- [3:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for#t=214) The Market Failure of MEMS and 'Falling in Love with Design'
- [9:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for#t=582) Security, Privacy, and the Ring Doorbell Gap
- [15:42](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for#t=942) Metro21's Living Sandbox: Meal Delivery and Fire Inspection
- [22:44](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for#t=1364) Startup Incubation and Infrastructure Monitoring
- [26:19](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for#t=1579) The Holy Grail: Connectivity, Power, and Interoperability
- [32:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-01-ep-21-carnegie-mellons-karen-lightman-on-the-intersection-of-tech-and-policy-for#t=1961) Future Outlook: Silos, Standards, and 10-Year Timeline

## Topics

- [Connected products & IoT](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/connected-products-and-iot)
- [Security & privacy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/security-and-privacy)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Microcontrollers & dev platforms](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/microcontrollers-and-platforms)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Carnegie Mellon (company)
- Metro21 (other)
- MEMS (chip)
- Silicon Labs (company)
- World Economic Forum (company)
- Ring (product)
- Zigbee Alliance (other)
- Qualcomm (company)
- DSRC (other)
- LoRaWAN (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [What Makes a City Better Suited for IoT Adoption? | Mrinal Wadhwa, CTO of Ockam | #AskIoT E007](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2019-02-11-what-makes-a-city-better-suited-for-iot-adoption-mrinal-wadhwa-cto-of-ockam-aski) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [The Four Key Drivers of Smart Cities | eleven-x Inc.'s Dan Mathers](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-05-31-the-four-key-drivers-of-smart-cities-eleven-x-inc-s-dan-mathers) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Living in the Future: Smart Cities](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2021-05-07-living-in-the-future-smart-cities) (EE Times Current)
- [How is IoT Improving Transparency Between Smart Cities and Citizens? | Austin Ashe, GM of Current, Powered by GE](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2019-05-29-how-is-iot-improving-transparency-between-smart-cities-and-citizens-austin-ashe) (IoT For All Podcast)
- [Future of Smart Cities | Libelium's Alicia Asin | Internet of Things Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/iot-for-all-podcast/2022-12-27-future-of-smart-cities-libeliums-alicia-asin-internet-of-things-podcast) (IoT For All Podcast)

## Citing this page

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