Connected Life

It’s been on the cover of a recent "The Economist" magazine (subscribers only, sorry).

It’s been tested in Tokyo’s Ginza district (Tokyo Ubiquitous Technology Project). Now, what initially seemed more like a sci-fi story is one step closer to becoming a reality. The Japanese government announced last Saturday that it is setting up a test zone for what they’re calling an ‘IT lifestyle’, where everything and everyone is connected wirelessly.

According to The Japan Times (reg. req.), "the government will set up a special zone next fiscal year to test "ubiquitous" Internet technology in situations as varied as providing medical services for the elderly, preventing car accidents and buying vegetables".

Using a mix of mobile, internet, and RFID technologies, senior citizens will have their vital signs sent to hospital where they’ll be continuously monitored, cars will have their speed automatically reduced if a pedestrian crosses the road, and people will even be able to buy vegetables using their mobile phones, should they want to do so. The test will be carried out in an area still to be determined, either in Hokkaido or Okinawa, where there’s less radio wave interference.

Contributed by Nelson Kuniyoshi