History

2022: Opening a Smart City

In April 2022, Panasonic announced the opening of the smart city of Suita, located in Osaka Prefecture (Japan). As noted in the company, Suita will become the first Japanese city, 100% provided with renewable energy, and the prototype of a "carbon-neutral society of the future," whose inhabitants can enjoy all the benefits of civilization without harming nature.

The safety of residents of the city is ensured by a monitoring system based on artificial intelligence and the latest 4K video cameras. They will allow you to record violations of order and quickly respond to probable incidents (accidents, falls, congestion), as well as help organize assistance for persons with movement restrictions and visual impairments.

In April 2022, Panasonic announced the opening of the smart city of Suita, located in Osaka Prefecture (Japan).

On the territory of Suita there are apartment buildings for families and the elderly, a dormitory for students, a health center, special institutions for people in need of medical care (including round-the-clock), as well as child care, educational institutions, a shopping and business center and a park. Solar energy (photovoltaic panels and batteries), modern gas equipment, etc. will be used for their sustainable power supply. Transport in the city will also be electric, including through a car sharing system.

It is noted that unlike other smart cities - Tsunashima and Fujisawa - Suita is focused not only on comfort and harmonious coexistence of different generations, but also on environmental friendliness. All residents of the city are promised educational, medical and social support. The park will be a place for meetings and communication of citizens. The total investments in the project of this smart city by April 2022 are not disclosed.^[1]

2019: Smart City Construction

On September 24, 2019, TAdviser became known that the smart sustainable development city of Suita will be built in Japan by 2022 by Panasonic and 13 large Japanese companies. It will be the third such project in the country, but with a narrower specialization - in the field of medicine and health. On the territory of 2.3 hectares in the northern part of Osaka, where Panasonic was previously located, several multi-storey houses with 365 apartments and apartments, a health center, a complex for permanent residence of elderly people in need of special care, as well as a shopping and business center and a park will be built.

Unlike the other two "smart" cities of Panasonic in Japan - Fujisawa (focused on the integrated development of the city, both systems and autonomy in the case of natural disasters) and Tsunashima (a model of the metropolis of the future with a scientific bias) - Suita focuses on health and an environmentally friendly lifestyle. And this is no coincidence, since in the immediate vicinity of it another "medical" project was implemented with the participation of Panasonic - Kita-Osaka Health and Medical City (Kento) - a specialized cluster of the National Research Center for Cardiovascular Disease of Japan and its partners.

All residents of Suita - from babies to the elderly - will have access to counselling and direct medical support. Young families, for example, will actively help in the care of children. Elderly people will be "looked after" by special sensors and a video analytics system from Panasonic in combination with peripheral medical equipment compatible with the Internet of Things. Using behavioral analysis algorithms, the system will be able to recognize the slightest deviations in people's routine behavior that indicate the onset of various diseases (including dementia). Early diagnosis, in turn, will minimize the consequences and ease the course of the disease. Medical support in this case will be provided by the National Research Center for Cardiovascular Disease, Suita Municipal Hospital and nearby clinics. Support for the health monitoring system, medical care services, as well as the organization of the health center will be taken over by Gakken Cocofan.

Another strategic task of the project is to ensure 100% security and convenience of residents and guests. For this, a unified monitoring system will be created in the city on the basis of high-resolution video surveillance cameras, as well as object recognition, robotization and artificial intelligence technologies. Sogo Security will be responsible for it. The system will allow you to control access to various parts of the city, prevent violations of law and order, as well as provide personalized services to residents.

Suita should be the first settlement in Japan whose needs are 100% provided by renewable energy. This task is planned to be implemented in 5 years. For this, all houses will be equipped with household electric generators on fuel cells and batteries. Kansai Electric Power will also provide green power, including from its Panasonic PV power plant. Another partner, Osaka Gas, will develop a natural gas use model for greater energy flexibility in the city (rapid recovery from natural disasters, adaptability to weather changes, etc.).

To manage the city, a special Suitable Town Platform will be created based on the Panasonic Home X home automation systems, allowing the city and its surrounding spaces to adapt to its changing needs.

Special attention will be paid to community-forming mechanisms. Suita's public spaces will allow representatives of different generations to meet, communicate and interact.

Data transfer to 5G networks and support for various service platforms based on facial recognition technology from Panasonic will be provided by ippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation.

Hankyu Oasis will take over the construction and management of the city supermarket, as well as services to provide citizens with healthy products.

Panasonic Corporation will be responsible for the planning and overall management of the project, the development of the city, the involvement of partners and the creation of a platform for joint creativity for the development of the urban concept. And its subsidiary, Panasonic Homes Corporation, is responsible for building, designing space and organizing a smart city management system.

Project Description