reporter: tim newman insists the demand for these services is just as great in his small town of new marlborough, massachusetts, as it is in big cities. >> there's really no difference for people who live here than people who live in boston and new york or los angeles or anywhere. in order to do things as part of your life, you need connectivity to the internet. it's not a luxury, it's a utility. >> sreenivasan: increasingly in the u.s., city governments are turning to big data and technology to improve performance and planning. in another part of massachusetts, the city of cambridge is now deploying robots underground to better understand public health. this report is also part of our" urban ideas" series looking at innovations in the ways cities are solving problems. the newshour's christopher booker has more. >> reporter: the most unpleasant job in all of cambridge, massachusetts, boston next door neighbor, may well belong to a robot named luigi. these researchers from the massachusetts institute of technology lower luigi into the city's sewer system to collect samples of human wastewater. mo