Toyota has announced plans to build a prototype of the city of the future near Japan's Fuji Mountain, DPA reported.
The city will be powered by hydrogen cells and will act as a laboratory for autonomous vehicles, smart homes, artificial intelligence and other technologies.
Toyota unveiled a plan for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The development, to be built at the site of a closed factory, will be called Woven City - a reference to Toyota's start as a loom manufacturing company - and will serve as a home to full-time residents and researchers, Bendigo Advertiser reported.
The concern did not specify the price of the project.
The car industry executives of many leading car companies describe how cities of the future can be designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and buildings, reduce congestion, and apply Internet technologies to everyday life.
However, the plan for a futuristic 71-hectare city near Fuji is a major step forward for competitors. The company initially expects 2,000 people to live in the city and construction should begin next year. CEO Akio Toyoda called the project "my personal field of dreams".
Toyota added that it has commissioned the design of the settlement to Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, whose company is behind Google's office buildings in Silicon Valley and London and the skyscraper 2 World Trade Center in New York. The concern noted that it is also open to partnerships with other companies that want to use the project as a technology testing ground.
But what will the city of the future look like?
To reduce the city’s carbon footprint, buildings will be made mainly out of wood and assembled using robotic production methods and traditional Japanese wood joinery. Rooftops will be covered in solar panels with additional power provided by hydrogen fuel cells, and hydroponics and plants will be woven all throughout the city, The News Wheel Reported
The prototype city is being developed by a car manufacturer in a former car factory, so understandably there is a prioritisation of their vehicles as an integral part of transport around the city, but the website also states, “Only fully autonomous, zero-emission vehicles will be allowed on the main thoroughfares to move residents around.”, Superyacht News reported.
Japanese industrial giant Toyota is providing financial support to research conducted at the Sofia-based Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT), focusing on the realms of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI)
Japan's automotive giant Toyota said today it would extend the suspension of its Chinese factories by one week until February 16 because of the country's coronavirus epidemic crisis.
General Motors aims to launch a public ride-sharing service across several cities that uses fully self-driving cars by 2019, potentially becoming the first traditional carmaker to deploy autonomous technology at scale in the real world.
The Bulgarian scientific research vessel “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” (NIC 421) has returned to Varna, docking at the Marine Station and marking the official end of the country’s 34th Antarctic expedition
Holiday weather conditions are expected to remain mixed across Bulgaria, with alternating periods of sunshine and rain showers, according to the forecast
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church has decided that no official delegation will travel to Jerusalem this year to receive the Holy Fire, citing the ongoing tensions in the Middle East
Plovdiv will host the International Street Arts Festival 6Fest from April 20 to 26, 2026, turning the city into an open-air stage featuring performers from 11 countries across three continents
Aniventure Comic Con Returns to Bulgaria with Star Guest Christopher Judge!
Global Fuel Shock: Oil Jumps Over 40% Since Iran War Began
Bulgaria news
Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News."
Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria.
Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper.
News Bulgaria