Monday Toyota CES The press conference was about everything woven cityA planned community of automakers at the base of Mount Fuji. Robotics will no doubt play a major role in the company's bid to automate as much as possible within the 2,000-person city, including autonomous cars and drones designed to return home after dark.
A big part of this is the ongoing efforts by the company's research arm – TRI Improve robot learning methods. The institute recently announced a partnership with Boston Dynamics that will bring its imitation learning technology to the new electric Atlas humanoid robot.
A delicate task like folding a t-shirt is as good a place to start. CEO Akio Toyoda demonstrated how the company teaches robot arms to fold T-shirts Japanese-style. Starting with a pair of manual graspers, the man demonstrates the proper way to fold a shirt. According to Toyota, the system is able to achieve efficiency overnight.
T-shirt folding is definitely an example of skill. Notably, the 2,000 residents expected to relocate to the Woven City include several retirees. Over the past few decades, Japan has increasingly looked to automation to support its aging population.
The Woven City is, in part, a demonstration of what the future of caring for older adults might look like.