Toyota to Deploy 400,000 Self-Developed Robots Globally
The deployment includes 150,000 machines designated for the automaker’s own facilities, while another 250,000 units are slated to take on tasks within the plants of group companies and major suppliers.
According to data cited from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), Japan had roughly 450,000 operational industrial robots in 2024 alongside 44,500 newly installed units that year. Accounting for replacement cycles and ongoing growth, industry estimates indicate approximately 500,000 industrial robots currently operate productively across Japan. Toyota’s new fleet, however, will be distributed globally across its network of roughly 60 manufacturing plants over the coming years.
A 1 Billion ¥ Annual Capital Injection
To fund the transition, Toyota and its affiliated corporate entities plan to invest 1 Billion ¥ (umgerechnet ca. 6,5 Mrd. $)—roughly 6.5 billion U.S. dollars—annually starting in 2028 for factory renovations and structural upgrades, as reported by Nikkei Asia. Unlike traditional assembly line automation that isolates machinery behind safety cages, Toyota’s strategy integrates the new hardware to work side-by-side with human personnel.
Introducing Eley: The Embodied Learning Robot
Central to this human-robot collaboration is a new humanoid machine developed by Toyota’s Frontier Research Center, named Eley. The unit weighs approximately 50 kilograms and utilizes a functional flat screen instead of a human-like face, maintaining a practical aesthetic.
Rather than using legs, Eley moves on a stabilized rolling platform and uses two-finger grippers capable of executing delicate fine-motor tasks. According to manufacturer specifications, the robot can independently transfer parts between bins and fold fabrics by leveraging artificial intelligence to determine optimal movement strategies. The functional design reflects the lean management principles embedded in the Toyota Production System.
Kinematic Fixtures and Gaming Controllers on the Line
Nikkei Asia reports that the robotic units have already seen deployment at select production lines to observe and learn how human employees execute tasks. Training footage demonstrates workers utilizing specialized parallel kinematic fixtures for the robot’s arms, equipped with gaming controllers at the terminal ends to guide Eley’s fingers. Through repeated physical runs, the machine masters real-world tasks.
Toshihide Yamada of the Factory Innovation Robotics Group at the Frontier Research Center detailed in an online publication that achieving precise drive mechanisms remains a core priority for perfecting the hardware’s operational accuracy. The ongoing factory renovations and trials represent a multi-year roadmap that will continue to reshape assembly lines as the automaker rolls out its next generation of automated workforce solutions.
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