Toyota plans to build a prototype city of the future on a 175-acre site at the base of Mount Fuji in Japan, the car maker announced at this month’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
 
Called the Woven City, it will be a fully connected ecosystem powered by hydrogen fuel cells.
 
Envisioned as a living laboratory, the Woven City will serve as a home to full-time residents and researchers who will be able to test and develop technologies such as autonomy, robotics, personal mobility, smart homes and artificial intelligence in a real-world environment.
 
“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,” said Akio Toyoda, president of Toyota Motor. “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.”
 
Toyota will extend an open invitation to collaborate with other commercial and academic partners and invite interested scientists and researchers from around the world to come work on their own projects in this one-of-a-kind, real-world incubator.
 
“We welcome all those inspired to improve the way we live in the future, to take advantage of this unique research ecosystem and join us in our quest to create an ever-better way of life and mobility for all,” said Toyoda.
 
For the design of Woven City, Toyota has commissioned Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, CEO of Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). His team at BIG have designed many high-profile projects from 2 World Trade Center in New York and Lego House in Denmark, to Google’s Mountain View and London headquarters.
 
“A swarm of different technologies are beginning to radically change how we inhabit and navigate our cities,” said Ingels. “Connected, autonomous, emission-free and shared mobility are bound to unleash a world of opportunities for new forms of urban life. With the breadth of technologies and industries that we have been able to access and collaborate with from the Toyota ecosystem of companies, we believe we have a unique opportunity to explore new forms of urbanity with the Woven City that could pave new paths for other cities to explore.”
 
The masterplan of the city includes the designations for street usage into three types – for faster vehicles only, for a mix of lower speed, personal mobility and pedestrians, and for a park-like promenade for pedestrians only. These three street types weave together to form an organic grid pattern to help accelerate the testing of autonomy.
 
The city is planned to be fully sustainable, with buildings made mostly of wood to reduce the carbon footprint, using traditional Japanese wood joinery, combined with robotic production methods. The rooftops will be covered in photo-voltaic panels to generate solar power in addition to power generated by hydrogen fuel cells. Toyota plans to weave in the outdoors throughout the city, with native vegetation and hydroponics.
 
Residences will be equipped with the latest in human support technologies, such as in-home robotics to assist with daily living. The homes will use sensor-based AI to check occupants’ health, take care of basic needs and enhance daily life, creating an opportunity to deploy connected technology with integrity and trust, securely and positively.
 
To move residents through the city, only fully autonomous, zero-emission vehicles will be allowed on the main thoroughfares. In and throughout Woven City, autonomous Toyota e-Palettes will be used for transportation and deliveries, as well as for changeable mobile retail.
 
Both neighbourhood parks and a large central park for recreation, as well as a central plaza for social gatherings, are designed to bring the community together. Toyota believes that encouraging human connection will be an equally important aspect of this experience.
 
Toyota plans to populate Woven City with Toyota Motor employees and their families, retired couples, retailers, visiting scientists, and industry partners. The plan is for 2000 people to start, adding more as the project evolves.
 
The ground breaking for the site is planned for early 2021.