The project will create inclusive, tech-augmented spaces that aim to improve physical and mental health and is part of a wider ‘Engineering Healthier Environments’ project. It will involve establishing a ‘GREEN+ Network’ and a roadmap for how new technologies can be integrated into public landscapes to promote healthier, more connected lives.
The project, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh, will bring together academics, healthcare professionals, greenspace managers, technologists and community organisations and will involve investigating and incorporating nature-based interventions across environments such as parks, forests, zoos, adventure parks, botanic gardens and community green spaces.
The partners argue that a key aim will be to reimagine these green spaces not as static parks, but as interactive, intelligent ecosystems. The team at NTU previously developed the ‘TagWithMe’ project, a smart wellbeing platform for green spaces which challenges visitors to identify tagged smart objects in different locations through a mobile app that delivered real-time challenges, quizzes and prompts.
It is hoped that, in promoting physical and mental wellbeing, the work will help to support social prescribing and strengthen community connectedness. Partners will co-lead pilot projects, workshops and other events exploring how pervasive technologies can help to support health and wellbeing in natural settings, and feasibility projects will be co-designed with potential users. Ideas developed through the network will be low-cost, inclusive and designed to work within communities across the UK.
The team wants to harness the existing value of green spaces and the role of nature in lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety and depression, improving cardiovascular health and enhancing creativity.
“These are spaces people already trust, already love and are freely accessible – they are woven into daily life yet often overlooked as platforms for innovation,” said network director Eiman Kanjo, Professor in Tiny Machine Leaning and Pervasive Computing and Head of the Smart Sensing Lab in Nottingham Trent University’s School of Science and Technology.
The technologies developed will be broad and inclusive, benefitting older adults looking to stay active, young people engaged by gaming and exploring, people with mental or physical health conditions, and those in areas where access to healthcare or community resources is limited.
Experiences will vary and range from imaginative and playful to clinically impactful and low-cost wearables and offline-friendly tools will help bridge the digital divide, ensuring no one is excluded for lack of devices or data plans.
Visitors could follow digital wellbeing trails, for instance, where AI-generated prompts encourage breathing exercises or gentle stretches, or smart sensors embedded in benches or pathways might offer live feedback on movement patterns and encouragement to keep walking. Apps could suggest new areas to explore based on mood or health goals, using AI to personalise each visit.
In locations such as botanic gardens, families might engage with augmented storytelling experiences, where children unlock educational content about biodiversity by interacting with tagged objects or responding to challenges.
“Our work will harness AI systems, pervasive sensing and low-energy digital technologies, embedding them into our green spaces as a way to encourage movement and support physical and mental wellbeing,” said Professor Kanjo. “AI systems and smart infrastructure are reshaping how we engage with our surroundings. Through this bold interdisciplinary collaboration, we hope to transform these spaces into responsive, data-informed hubs for healthier living.”
It is considered important timing for the project as the technological landscape has shifted dramatically – with the rise of energy-efficient microcomputing, edge AI and non-invasive biosensors – alongside an urgent health and societal need.
The team hopes that individuals will experience improved physical health through increased activity, reduced stress through mindfulness and engagement and a greater sense of purpose and connection. And at the community level green spaces will become hubs for social interaction and public health outreach, reducing pressure of traditional service and fostering more resilient neighbourhoods.
For healthcare systems, meanwhile, the project offers new avenues for preventive care and data-driven support, and for policymakers, it is hoped to be a blueprint for how digital innovation can enhance public assets in equitable, sustainable ways.
Professor Kanjo added: “Importantly, the design process will be co-led by users themselves, with healthcare professionals, social prescribers and community groups shaping every stage of development. Through workshops, and funded pilot projects, we will continuously generate new ideas and partnerships, feeding back into a growing network of sites and stakeholders.”
