Toyota Is Building an Entire City to Test Vehicles In
Brand new city in Japan promises to serve as a test bed for a host of future Toyota tech.
City of the Future
Creating safe, reliable, and functional self-driving vehicles are no small task. This is why automakers are working overtime to make this technology viable in the real world, oftentimes under strict laws and regulations. But now, Toyota is taking its self-driving car development to the very next level, as the automaker revealed at the 2020 Consumer Electronics Show that it's building an entire "city of the future" where it will test autonomous vehicles, smart technology, and robot-assisted living.
Photos: Toyota
Woven City
Toyota’s newly announced Woven City is a state-of-the-art connected city being built on the site of the Higashi-Fuji plant in Susono, Japan, about 60 miles from Tokyo. The Woven City will serve as a testbed for innovative ideas and technologies from Toyota and its partners. The city is a joint effort between Toyota AI Ventures, Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI-AD), and Toyota Research Institute (TRI).
Photos: Toyota
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Intelligence Amplified
Toyotas CEO Akio Toyoda described the new city as a "living laboratory" that will allow researchers, scientists and engineers to test emerging technology in a "real-life environment." "With people, buildings, and vehicles all connected and communicating with each other through data and sensors, we will be able to test AI technology, in both the virtual and the physical world, maximizing its potential," Toyoda said. "We want to turn artificial intelligence into intelligence amplified."
Photos: Toyota
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Sustainable City
Approximately 2,000 people will reside in the 175-acre site, which was previously home to a Toyota factory. Woven City will be 100% sustainable, powered by hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels atop buildings. In addition, only zero-emission and self-driving vehicles will be allowed to drive on Woven City streets. The automaker will utilize Toyota e-Palettes vans to deliver goods and complete other commercial transportation needs.
Photos: Toyota
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High Tech
Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) was responsible for creating the city's master plan. Most buildings in Woven City will be constructed from wood, and at least partially by robots. Inside each building, you'll find a host of smart technology. At the onset, residents will consist of Toyota employees and their families, along with retirees, retailers, researchers and other project partners.
Photos: Toyota
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Feeling Connected
"Homes in the Woven City will serve as test sites for new technology, such as in-home robotics to assist with daily life," BIG said. "These smart homes will take advantage of full connectivity using sensor-based AI to do things automatically, like restocking your fridge, or taking out your trash - or even taking care of how healthy you are. In an age when technology, social media and online retail is replacing and eliminating our natural meeting places, the Woven City will explore ways to stimulate human interaction in the urban space. After all, human connectivity is the kind of connectivity that triggers well being and happiness, productivity and innovation."
Photos: Toyota
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Future Is Now
Woven City is no doubt the most impressive and ambitious such project we've seen to date. And it's happening soon. BIG announced that the first phase, consisting of around 12 structures, will go under construction in 2021. As for how long it'll be before we're all living in such a high-tech place, well, that remains to be seen.
Photos: Toyota
>>Join the conversation about Toyota's new city right here in Club Lexus.
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