Toyota announced on Tuesday that it is planning to establish a "prototype city of the future" in Mt. Fuji, Japan. The purpose of the prototype that is planned for construction on a 175-acre site is for the development and testing of new technologies.
According to CNBC, president of Toyota, Akio Toyoda, said at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2020 that the "Woven City" will work as a "living laboratory" where residents will develop and test different new high-end technologies for smarter living in the future.
Among the segments that will be tested in the Woven City are autonomous driving, robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and smart home living. Resident engineers, scientists, researchers, are expected to have freedom in testing different technologies.
"This will be a truly unique opportunity to create an entire community or city from the ground up," Toyoda noted. Although no set timeframe for the project's completion was provided, industry experts lauded the initiative.
The Woven City is expected to break ground next year, with the master plan focusing on allowing an estimated 2,000 people developing new technologies. The residents include employees, retailers, and visiting researchers or developers.
People who will visit the "city of the future" will be provided with residences boasting the "latest in human support technologies." Robots will assist residents in their daily activities to further improve the experience.
Probably the biggest breakthrough in Toyota's plan is to make the city fully sustainable. Toyoda revealed that the city will be constructed using as much wood as possible and vehicles within the area will have zero emissions and will be fully autonomous.
Solar power will be used as part of the efforts in reducing the Woven City's overall carbon footprint. Industry experts noted that the project should help encourage other companies to pursue sustainable operations in business.
Aside from announcing the Woven City project, Toyota also launched at the CES what it calls a "call for innovation." Toyota AI Ventures, in particular, invited qualified business-minded people to apply for potential funding of up to $2 million from the capital venture fund.
According to Automotive World, the venture capital unit will collaborate with the Toyota Research Institute - Advanced Development (TRI-AD) to establish potential opportunities in developing new technologies for connectivity and better living.
Among the segments that could avail of funding should they be approved include AI, autonomy, robotics, cloud computing, big data, and mobility. Applicants should present a feasible business model for smart living, have a working prototype, and amassed less than $3 million in funding from other investors.
