Residents of South Korea’s first smart community, to be built in the southern port city of Busan, will be selected Thursday in a 148:1 competition, the company behind the project said Wednesday.

The state-run Korea Water Resources Corp., also known as K-Water, will hold a drawing at BEXCO convention center to pick the lucky 36 households who will experience the cutting-edge technologies incorporated in prototype smart residences at the Busan Eco Delta City. They will join eighteen households to be selected separately after interviews.

Exempt from monthly rent and deposits during their stay, the selected residents, a total of 54 households, will evaluate some 40 innovative technologies and give their feedback. They can live in the neighborhood for up to 5 years.

The Eco Delta City residences will feature the highest-ever energy efficiency, home automation and connectivity solutions. It will also be equipped with an advanced water management system that can store and purify rain water as well as a water heating system using solar power.

Robots will be deployed inside the community to carry out various services including delivery, facility checks, illegal parking inspections and measurements of fine dust. The community center will feature a gym with AI trainers and a smart vegetable farm, among others.

Selected residents are required to take part in a one-year education program before moving in at the end of next year.

The company received applications from over 3,000 households from Nov. 11 to Dec. 14 and has screened their qualifications in preparation for the open draw.

“K-Water will do its best to help Busan Eco Delta City to become the world’s leading model of a smart community,” K-Water CEO Park Jae-hyeon said.

By Kim Byung-wook (kbw@heraldcorp.com)