Remember the "Tomorrowland" attraction at Disney? It was a "town" that displayed Disney's idea of what the future would look like, with all kinds of galatic gizmos and futuristic home concepts. A more scientific venture into future home technology will open in New Mexico — this one for researchers only. The Center for Innovation,Testing and Evaluation, a facility in Lea County, N.M., will be built this summer to test future technology.
Modeled after Rock Hill, S.C., the town will be outfitted with roads, houses and other buildings, but no people. It will be used to look at emerging tech from intelligent traffic systems to testing whether older power grids can handle new technologies.
Although no one will inhabit the houses, they will contain homey features like plumbing and appliances, making it possible for scientists to test new technologies without interfering in a family’s everyday life. The project is estimated to cost $400 million and will create 350 permanent jobs and 3,500 indirect jobs during its initial and operational phases.
Credit: CITE
