July 16, 2009
TMC to Hold Online Virtual-reality Idea Exchange
The events will be held in a virtual city on TMC's Toyota Metapolis1 (http://metapolis.toyota.co.jp) website, thus allowing TMC to interact with numerous people simultaneously. TMC hopes that this exchange will play a role in vehicle-concept creation and product development.
The events' two themes are "low-carbon society" and "seamless mobility life". Covered will be TMC's vision of a future "mobility society" in which conventional cars co-exist with advanced vehicles such as the single-seat electric vehicle "i-REAL" and the personal-transport-assistance robot "Winglet". In each of the first three events, approximately 2,000 visitors are expected to interact. At the fourth event, to be held on October 21, TMC will announce its "future car life" concept, which will reflect the interactions. The concept will also be exhibited at the Tokyo Motor Show, starting on the same day.
Further details are available (in Japanese) at http://toyota.co.jp/future/lab/.
Outline of Online Virtual-reality Idea Exchange on Toyota Metapolis Website
| Date | Time | Content |
|---|---|---|
| Jul. 23 | 21:00 to 22:00 | Next-generation personal mobility (idea exchange) |
| Aug. 29 | 16:00 to 17:00 | Living environment in TMC's proposal for personal mobility (idea exchange) |
| Sep. 17 | 21:00 to 22:00 | 1) Previous discussion results (presentation) 2) Role of vehicles in "low-carbon society" (idea exchange) |
| Oct. 21 | 13:00 to 14:00 & 21:00 to 22:00 |
Discussion-result-based "future car life" concept (presentation) |
1Launched for marketing purposes by TMC in April 2008, the website now has more than 60,000 registered members. Through a fun, dream-like world of the future in which people, cars and nature co-exist, the website aims to offer—particularly the younger generation—more opportunities and ways to enjoy cars. To date, 20 events have been held on the website, including car launches, attracting approximately 800,000 visitors.
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