Raphael Thys
Japanese car manufacturer Toyota is building a futuristic city just outside Mount Fuji - and it's a window into the future of sustainable living.
The so-called 'Woven City' is a 'living laboratory' where urban life can be integrated with autonomous vehicles, robots, clean energy, and AI.
Construction began in early 2021 and is set to be completed in summer 2024.
The city plans to soft launch in 2025, starting its 'demonstration trials' with experiments on next-gen remote communication tech and 'smart logistics' using smartphone apps linked to delivery robots.
'Electricity generated by hydrogen-powered fuel cells will be the main energy supply – similar to the technology used for the Mirai,' Toyota's website read.
Toyota
Homes in Woven City will be kitted out with robotics and sensor-based AI for daily tasks like restocking the fridge and taking out the bins.
Although the city will be built by robots, its design will reflect Japanese design and traditional woodwork.
The houses will have solar panel roofs and vegetation will be closely 'woven' into the buildings, maintained by built-in watering systems.
To aid the city’s design, the company has employed the help of famous Norwegian architect Bjarke Ingels.
The automotive manufacturer explained that the city plans to house around 360 people to start. Mainly, senior citizens and families but it plans to expand to a total population of 2,000.
According to the Toyota website: 'This number will include Toyota employees and researchers, who will be able to test and develop technologies such as artificial intelligence in a real world environment.'
Toyota
Akio Toyoda, chairman of the Toyota Motor Corporation and the company's former president and CEO, said in a statement in 2020: 'Building a complete city from the ground up, even on a small scale like this, is a unique opportunity to develop future technologies, including a digital operating system for the city's infrastructure.
'With people, buildings and vehicles all connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, we will be able to test connected AI technology[...] in both the virtual and the physical realms[...] maximising its potential.'
Interestingly, Akio Toyoda is the great-grandson of Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyota Industries, which has its roots in a different industry.
'If you didn't know, Toyota actually began as a loom manufacturer [in 1926]. We didn't start by building cars. We began by weaving fabric. Now, we hope to use our technology to weave together a new kind of city and a new way of enjoying life,' Akio Toyoda concluded.
Featured Image Credit: Toyota