Feb 23 (V7N) - Toyota's Woven City near Mount Fuji is an ambitious experiment in robotics, artificial intelligence, and autonomous zero-emissions mobility. Unlike a typical smart city, it's designed as a "test course for mobility", according to Daisuke Toyoda, an executive from Toyota’s founding family.

Size: 47,000 square meters (506,000 sq. ft.) in the first phase, expanding to 294,000 square meters (3.1 million sq. ft.).

Purpose: A research hub where startups and engineers collaborate.

Transportation: Underground autonomous vehicles for deliveries and waste collection.

Residents: Starting with 100 people from Toyota and partner companies.

Energy Focus: Toyota is prioritizing hydrogen over EVs.

Not expected to generate profit for years.

Could be a step toward robotic mobility solutions, potentially competing with Google’s Waymo.

Inspired by Toyota’s textile industry roots, honoring Sakichi Toyoda, who invented an automatic loom to ease his mother’s manual labor.

Many futuristic city projects have failed or stalled, including:

Google’s Sidewalk Labs in Toronto.

Saudi Arabia’s Neom.

Masdar City in the UAE.

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