This year, Toyota is set to finish building a visionary 'living laboratory' near Mount Fuji, a $10 billion project. The company plans to explore how people can thrive in a future city environment with cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics.
Construction of $10 Billion 'Living Laboratory' City in Japan
Toyota is building a pioneering city named 'Woven City' near Mount Fuji. This innovative urban experiment serves as a 'living laboratory' to explore how communities can harmoniously integrate autonomous vehicles, robotics, clean energy, and artificial intelligence into daily life, envisioning a future where technology enhances human living experiences.
Initially, the city will be home to approximately 360 people, mostly older individuals and families. Nevertheless, Toyota intends to increase the city's population to approximately 2,000 gradually. They will reportedly watch the settlement and create technologies such as artificial intelligence in a real-world context. The residents will comprise employees of the corporation, such as technicians and researchers.
Robots will construct an urban environment influenced by the natural world and classic Japanese woodwork, providing a backdrop for this. Also, the corporation will reportedly work with Bjarke Ingels to design the city. As such, the futuristic city of Woven City started construction in early 2021 and is predicted to be completed by summer 2024. By 2025, the project is supposed to come to an end with the formal city introduction and the start of demonstration trials.
This demonstration will encompass experiments involving smart logistics, smartphone applications connected to delivery robots, and next-generation remote communication technologies. It is planned that robotics and artificial intelligence based on sensors would be utilized to do routine chores within the city's residences, such as automatically replenishing the refrigerator and carrying out the trash.
Also Read: Flood Prevention Products: Smart Inventions to Keep Your Property Flood-Free
Futuristic Features of Woven City
Woven City is firmly committed to the concept of sustainability. By adopting technology that is based on hydrogen, the city intends to reduce emissions as much as possible. Along with facilitating seamless communication between people, buildings, and cars, smart houses outfitted with specific sensors will also contribute to creating an environment that is uniquely integrated.
In order to achieve its ultimate objective of maximizing its potential, the company's objective is to investigate the potential of interconnected artificial intelligence technology across both the virtual and physical worlds. Accordingly, utilizing data and sensors will allow for the establishment of connectedness and communication between individuals, buildings, and vehicles, which will achieve this goal.
Toyota's research on 'E-palettes,' which are self-driving vehicles that are both energy-efficient and renewable, will be conducted in Woven City, which is why it is called a living laboratory. These automobiles will traverse the city on roadways distinct from those used by pedestrians and cyclists in the metropolis. Using the information obtained from Woven City, Toyota intends to enhance its comprehension of the prevalent traffic patterns in the area.
Thus, Woven City will feature smart homes' integrated with sensors all across the city, facilitating communication between inhabitants, buildings, and vehicles. Using hydrogen as its primary energy source, the city intends to reduce its emissions and establish itself as a pioneer in hydrogen-based technology.
Related Article: Japan to Fund Vertiport Construction for Future Flying Car Initiatives
