PEOPLE will move into a top secret robotic utopia “living laboratory” later this year filled with futuristic tech.
Toyota has been building its Woven City since 2021, which will serve as a test ground for driverless cars, smart homes, and robotics. The site, located just a few miles away from Mount Fuji, Japan, costs $10 billion / £8 billion and will eventually house up to 2,000 people.
Phase 1 construction of the site is now complete, and 100 people will move in later this year, with 360 residents planned for the current site. Up to 2,000 people could be living there once phase 2 and future phases are complete.
Woven City is a place where people can invent and develop new products and ideas, said Akio Toyoda, Chairman of Toyota. It’s a living laboratory where residents are willing participants, giving inventors the opportunity to freely test their ideas in a secure, real-life setting.
Select inventors and their families, known as “Weavers,” will relocate to Woven City in autumn to develop technologies to address societal challenges. Toyota is also inviting experts from third parties, including firms working on pollen-free spaces and futuristic vending machine concepts.
The city will feature “smart homes” that use hydrogen energy, in-home robotics to assist with daily living, and all vehicles and buildings will be connected through data and sensors. Streets will be split into three types: pedestrian-only areas, roads for fast-moving traffic, and streets for a mix of lower-speed vehicles.
Visitors to the top secret city will be limited to related parties at first, but the general public will be able to visit and participate in activities from 2026.