Regarding the Frontier Research Center's Exhibition at World Robot Summit 2025 AICHI

Toyota Motor Corporation's Frontier Research Center (Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Director Nobuhiko Koga) will participate as a global partner in the World Robot Summit 2025 AICHI, held from December 12 to 14, 2025. The Frontier Research Center will showcase its latest robotics technologies and innovations at the event. Additionally, at the World Robot Summit 2025 AICHI side event, AICHI ROBOFEST, the in-hospital transport robot Potaro will be exhibited. Through its robotics research, the Frontier Research Center aims to create a society where humans and robots coexist.

World Robot Summit 2025 AICHI Overview

Event

WRS2025 Manufacturing Robotics Challenge, World Robot Summit

Period

December 12 (Friday) to 14 (Sunday), 2025, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (until 4:30 PM on the last day)

Venue

Exhibition Hall C, Aichi Sky Expo (Aichi)

Admission

Free

Host

World Robot Summit Executive Committee

Co-host

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry

URL

https://worldrobotsummit.org/en/wrs2025/mrc/

Frontier Research Center Exhibition Overview

Exhibition Location

Sponsor Exhibition Area S-5

Exhibits

1. AI Basketball Robot CUE

CUE originated from AI research conducted within the Toyota Engineering Society, a voluntary activity at Toyota Motor Corporation. During a discussion about the amount of data needed for AI training, one member recalled a famous line from the basketball manga: "Is 20,000 shots enough for practice?" This sparked the idea: "Wouldn't it be amazing to create a robot that makes 100% of its shots using AI?" Development of the AI basketball robot began.
Since the development of the first-generation CUE began in 2017, it has achieved two Guinness World Records: 2,020 consecutive successful free throws and an ultra-long shot of 24.55 meters^*1. Additionally, CUE is registered as a player on the professional basketball team Alvark Tokyo. In 2020, CUE won the BREAK THE BORDER AWARD for the B. League Award Show 2019-20. In the summer of 2021, it also showcased its long-shot ability at a major international sports event. CUE has learned to perform passes and dribbles as well and continues to advance.

Specifications

Height

211 cm

Shoulder Width

61 cm

Chest Circumference

100 cm

Shoe Size

63 cm

Weight

123 kg

CUE will perform shooting demonstrations at the World Robot Summit live demonstration and experience field.

2. Tommy

Tommy is a robot developed by Toyota Motor Corporation, modeled after Yuta Tomikawa, the caster of Toyota's owned media "Toyota Times."^*2 Tommy can express itself through full-body movements and facial expressions using 30 motors, and engages in AI voice interactions informed by Tomikawa's personality, knowledge, and tone of voice. Tommy is currently on permanent display at the Toyota Kaikan, a corporate exhibition facility at Toyota Motor Corporation's headquarters (1 Toyota-cho, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture). The Frontier Research Center researches human-robot interaction through communication with numerous visitors, aiming to further develop Tommy into a robot capable of more profound communication.

Specifications

Height

90 cm

Weight

14.6 kg

3. Picking and Assembly Technology Handling Loosely Placed Parts, KumiPro Robot (Kumitate Professional Robot) (Sponsored by Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc.)

The Frontier Research Center is putting cutting-edge technologies to practical use as part of its initiatives for the future, with a particular focus on deploying them in manufacturing sites. In this exhibition, we present a demonstration of a parts-picking system that uses low-cost cameras, which is already operating on production lines at Toyota Motor East Japan, Inc. (hereafter referred to as TMEJ), along with a demonstration of an insertion task that simulates an assembly process expected to be introduced in the future. TMEJ, shaped by its experiences during the Great East Japan Earthquake, aims to build "a factory capable of creating and restoring its own equipment." To achieve this, the company is aiming to reduce equipment costs, shorten recovery times, and achieve flexibility through in-house implementation. The Frontier Research Center supports this mission by transferring these technologies and strengthening in-house development capabilities. What began at TMEJ is now expanding across the entire Toyota Group, enhancing the group's overall technological development capabilities.

Specifications

Length

850 mm

Width

1,300 mm

Height

1,500 mm

Weight

100 kg

4. Future Partner Robot Opening New Doors, ELEY (Embodied Learning robot for Enhanced Yield)

Japan faces a declining labor population due to aging and a low birthrate. Developing partner robots that support daily life and work alongside people has become urgent. Toyota Motor Corporation developed the Human Support Robot (HSR) in 2012 and has formed a community with over 40 research institutions worldwide to co-create software^*3. Demand has grown for robots with human-like physicality. The partner robot ELEY features two human-like arms capable of skillful movements, such as assembling objects or opening a box with one hand while taking items with the other. Like HSR, ELEY can extend its height to pick up objects from the floor or reach high places. Equipped with an omnidirectional mobile base, it can autonomously move quickly to target locations. ELEY is designed to be a compact robot that prioritizes safety and is friendly to people. The Frontier Research Center contributes to building a safe and sustainable society by developing partner robots.

Specifications

Length

478 mm

Width

450 mm

Height

939-1,619 mm

Weight

50 kg

World Robot Summit 2025 AICHI Side Event "AICHI ROBOFEST" Overview

Event

AICHI ROBOFEST

Period

December 12 (Friday) to 14 (Sunday), 2025, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (until 4:30 PM on the last day)

Venue

Exhibition Hall D, Aichi Sky Expo (Aichi)

Admission

Free

Host

Aichi Prefecture

Supporters

Aichi Prefectural Board of Education, Chunichi Shimbun / Chunichi BIZ Navi

URL

https://robofest.pref.aichi.jp/ (Japanese)

Our Exhibit

In-Hospital Transport Robot Potaro^*4 (Demonstrations in Robo Town)

References

Contact Information (about this article)

Frontier Research Center

frc_pr@mail.toyota.co.jp