Japan will begin testing autonomous taxiscarrying human passengerson public roads next year, and hopes to show off its technology by the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Announced Thursday by the Japanese government and Robot Taxi Inc., the trial will initially serve about 50 residents in the Kanagawa prefecture, shuttling them between their home and local grocery stores, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The cabsretrofitted versions of Toyota's Estima hybrid minivanwill drive about two miles, part of which will be major city roads; two co-pilots will be present during test drives, in case of emergency.

There is no word on how many vehicles will be deployed during the testing phase. But if the program is successful, Robot Taxi expects to have a fully commercial service running within five yearsjust in time to host the Tokyo Summer Olympics.

"We can't stick to the way we do business here in Japan, which is to unite everyone in the industry and work together," Shinjiro Koizumi, parliamentary vice minister of the cabinet office, said during a Thursday briefing, as reported by Bloomberg. "The government should create a competitive environment and welcome everyone to participate."

A joint venture between mobile Internet company DeNA and vehicle technology developer ZMP, Robot Taxi is billed as "your personal driver." Based on a translated website, the company plans to offer unmanned rides to folks traveling from overseas, as well as locals in need of transport where buses and trains are unavailable.

Japan has about 33 million senior citizens who make up 25 percent of the country's overall population. That number, however, is expected to grow to 40 percent over the next four decades.

In April, Apple and IBM teamed up with Japan Post Group to deliver iPads with IBM-developed apps and analytics to 5 million customers in Japan by 2020. The built-in services provide reminders and alerts about medication, exercise, and diet, as well as direct access to community activities and support services including grocery shopping and job matching.

IBM and SoftBank, meanwhile, are selling the ¥198,000 ($1,663) Pepper robot, which detects emotions via built-in cameras, touch sensors, an accelerometer, and other digital senses.

For more, see what leading AI and robot experts had to say at the recent RoboBusiness conference in San Jose.

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