" multi-taskingnesses "

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second day: expo day

we awoke at the near crack of dawn. the bus was ready to go, and of course i missed breakfast.
the aichi world expo 2005 is about one hour and a half from our hotel, and the ride through the cities was great. the wide clean plains of the japanese landscape, the kempt properties of the open spaces, and the near-seamless integration of modern culture amidst the ancient. this is japan at a purely observational, although i always enjoy the opportunity to come here.

we arrived at the north gates right when a light drizzle began to eek its way through the patches of sunshine. the air, a crisp cold burst of refreshing winds, coupled with everyone's reddened cheeks created the perfect atmosphere for on-foot exploration.

all of the other thai journalist had two-person or three-person crews, whereas i was working alone: dv video, photography, note-taking, interviewing, sound recording, and logistics. i was so busy today i completely forgot to take more than just a small handful of photos. so...well, that happened. i hope that all of the pamphlets and printed materials can be used for the following article. if not, well, i'm not necessarily screwed, but it does make a magazine article harder to make such an article "visually-pleasing." so, here we go.

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after going through the thorough press check-ins and security procedures, we headed over to the Toyota Pavillion to catch their aichi expo show titled "move, live." the show is an exhibition of toyota's vision of how future societies will be interlocked with a special harmony with nature and technology. this concept of toyota's, which is the feature of their exhibit, is called "the dream, joy and inspiration of mobility in the 21st century."

their sub-themes, "mobility in harmony with the earth" and "the appeal of mobility - achieving the dream and joy of worldwide movement," were displayed through their spectacular show. the whole basis of the toyota group's vision of how the future could be, enforces the ideas of a symbiotic relationship with nature; reconnecting with the planet so that we can continue to nurture the environment through our collective societal progress, and not overtake the natural world with waste, pollution, and unnecessary excess.

even before entering the "natural-cycle earth pavilion," multiple displays educated how toyota used the opportunity of even the construction of their building to show that through complex and innovative design methods, people and companies can be responsible and forwarding at the same time. the key points of their structure are:

- the frame of the entire building is constructed out of a steel frame which can be disassembled and reused. this is achieved through the concept of 'friction-joining' methods of building, which eliminates the need to drill and holes for bolts and also the need to weld.

- the exterior walls of the entire structure is made completely out of recycled paper. the interior walls are made with a soon-to-be commercialized material called kenaf. these uses of existing renewable materials shows just how multi-faceted natural resources can be utilized.

- the entire pavilion is powered by a giant wind-powered generator fan; a concept that provides enough energy to power the building and it's extensive energy needs, and also produces zero CO2 emissions. it is essentially a naturally-powered building.

you think about these designing methods, the thought towards the earth and materials, and how in this fashion it does seem possible to re-establish and achieve a harmonious relationship with the earth while continuing to move ahead.

the opening act of the toyota exhibition showcased an eight-piece robotic band. we learned later that the lead robot, a trumpeteer, actually has the construction and mechanics to play the trumpet for real. this is a robot that can play like a human, and even has lips. the rest of the band consisted of drums, horns, and oddly (and surprisingly)enough, a DJ robot which interacted and rapped along with a live performer. these innovations don't seem to immediately reflect societies needs, but it does show a progression in the field of robotics.

the concept behind the look and design of the robots are meant to reflect the japanese spirit of "wa," which translates into harmony and the ideal of hospitality.

the second act consisted of the main show. toyota's concept single-person "i-unit" vehicle and their mountable walking robot, the "i-foot," were prominently featured alongside a dance troupe. the show is a 360 degree spectacle which has these vehicles both being used and 'driven' by their human counterparts, as well as automatically executing complex and beautiful movements. it was something that was out of the furthest reaches of future-perfect science fiction, and there is was on display and in use.

the properties of the "i-unit" is meant to be a natural design as an extension of a single passenger's mobility. as they put it, "the design, inspired by the [shape of a] leaf that converts sunlight into life energy, seeks to express the power of the unknown, the logic of living things, and the simple beauty of wasteless functionality." in addition to the outstanding design, the unit can be customized with controls for an upright or down positions, as well as color themes, sound and vibrations.

the properties of the "i-foot" robotic unit reflects safety and heightened mobility with the concept design of an egg-shape with automated legs. it is controlled by use of a central joystick design, which puts ease of use before technological doohickeys.

along with this show, toyota has in use at the expo, a fuel-hybrid vehicle called the "FCHV-BUS," an earth-friendly fuel-cell technology based mode of transportation. another unique featured vehicle that is in use for transportation, is the "IMTS" or "intelligent multimode transit system" featuring fuel efficiency and the unique feature of a driverless function design.

all of these concepts are designed to further enhance the freedom of movement, a concept that the toyota group has pushed forward to bring to fruition for the 21st century's societies. they believe that through this harmonious thought in design of vehicles, we can begin to create a community where we can interact with people and the world around us in a direct, responsible, and fulfilling manner.

after the toyota group's show, we meandered for the rest of the day through the nagakute section of the expo which has may different companies, including brother, hitachi, central japan railway company, mitsubishi, and others, all showcasing their unique visions for the future. all of these people follow the communal world expo theme "nature's wisdom: a bright and fulfilling future society."

if everyone can begin to believe that these innovations and forwarding concepts can benefit all of us in the long-run, maybe we can proceed one step closer to a beautiful future.

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