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About

Smart city systems can help solve urban challenges. But when collecting data, what public values are involved? The Responsible Sensing Lab explores how to integrate social values in the design of sensing systems in public space.

In January 2021 the Responsible Sensing Lab was officially launched during an interactive livestream event. In essence the Lab is a testbed for conducting rigorous, transparent, and replicable research on how our smart technologies placed in public space can be designed in a way that makes the smart city ‘responsible’.

Our projects

Consortium Smart Doorbells

The Smart Doorbell Consortium is committed to the responsible use of smart doorbells. It explores the needs and concerns of citizens and investigates both regulatory and design-based solutions to address privacy and security risks. The initiative also aims to establish an international consortium to create a comprehensive list of functional requirements for manufacturers to design safer products.

Pilot City Soundscapes

The Responsible Sensing Lab's Listening to our Cities project investigates the effect of sound on the urban environment. The test setup at the Marineterrein helps to further refine the accuracy of the sensors.

Tuned Out

More and more people are wearing noise-cancelling headphones or earbuds in everyday life. Yet this shift raises questions: Are we losing something vital in the process? What does it mean for public life, where we no longer make eye contact, smile, or strike up a conversation with strangers?

Smart sensors to understand construction noise

How to better identify sources and reduce sound pollution in urban areas? This pilot uses smart sensors to monitor construction noise in Amsterdam.

View all projects

Our latest updates

New findings regarding smart doorbells

Smart doorbells are now a common sight in the Netherlands. Many people like the convenience and feeling of safety they offer. At the same time, research shows that these devices often conflict with privacy regulations.

Opening Innovation Museum

On July 10, 2025, the Innovation Team of the City of Amsterdam officially opened the doors to the Innovation Museum – a festive moment marking a decade of work at the intersection of social and technological innovation.

mmWave Results

We have relaunched the mmWave pilot at Marineterrein to better understand the technology and its application for monitoring crowds in the urban infrastructure. Our Researcher Girish will share his first results.

Go to all updates

Terms and Conditions (click to close)

Storing and processing data

Responsible Sensing Lab stores and processes data from website visitors who fill in the contact form.

We only store and process your first name, last name, telephone number and email address. We do not store or process other special personal data.

For what purpose do we store and process your data?

We only use your data to contact and maintain contact, for example for consultation about cooperation or a specific assignment, or to send our newsletter.

Not for other purposes

We never use your data for other purposes, such as offering products or services via direct mail. We also never pass on personal data to third parties. No personal data is stored in our website analysis (number of visitors). The only exception we make for the transfer of personal data is if we are legally obliged to do so, for example in the context of a police investigation.

Where and how long do we keep your data?

If you fill in the contact form, your data will end up in our e-mail archive that is linked to our website. We keep your data there for as long as necessary to answer your question or to provide you with another service.

View, change, delete data

You have the right to request, change or delete your data that we keep. By the way, you are not obliged to use our contact form. You can also email us at rsl@ams-institute.org or call us on +31 (0)6 38 88 41 92.

Unsubscribe newsletter

Do you not want to receive our newsletter (anymore)? Then you can easily unsubscribe via the unsubscribe button in the newsletter or via the contact form. You can also send an email to rsl@ams-institute.org or call us on +31 (0)6 38 88 41 92.

Declaration of agreement

Will you continue to use our services? Then you automatically confirm our new privacy policy and agree to the new rules.

Complaints

If you have complaints about the way we handle your data, you can report them to the Dutch Data Protection Authority.