Training method: Eley learns by observing Toyota workers wearing finger-shaped jigs, achieving near-perfect T-shirt folding accuracy after 1,500 practice sessions over two weeks.
- Deployment scale: Toyota plans to deploy 400,000 robots globally from 2028 — 150,000 at its own plants and 250,000 across group company facilities — with annual automation investment potentially reaching JP¥1tn (US$6.4bn).
- Flagship design trade-off: The humanoid Eley weighs 50 kg, uses two-fingered hands, and moves on wheels powered by battery or cord, prioritizing reliability over the bipedal approach pursued by Tesla and Figure.
- Existing foundation: Toyota operates 60 factories globally, employs 18,000 veteran "takumi" workers, and has been developing robots for more than two decades, including the Human Support Robot, Welwalk, and T-HR3.
By Stewart Burnett
Toyota is preparing one of the largest factory automation programs in automotive manufacturing. The automaker plans to deploy 400,000 robots globally from 2028, with the annual automation investment potentially reaching JP¥1tn (US$6.4bn).
Where the Robots Will Go
The deployment splits between Toyota's own operations and its wider group. Some 150,000 robots will be deployed at Toyota's own plants, while 250,000 will be deployed across group company facilities.
The scale of the existing footprint is significant: Toyota operates 60 factories globally and employs 18,000 veteran "takumi" workers — master craftspeople whose skills sit at the center of the training strategy.
Eley: Reliability Over Bipedalism
The flagship humanoid robot Eley weighs 50 kg and uses two-fingered hands rather than a full humanoid grip. Notably, Eley moves on wheels powered by battery or cord — a deliberate engineering trade-off toward proven reliability over the bipedal approach that rivals such as Tesla, with Optimus, and Figure are pursuing for their own factory robots.
The training method is equally pragmatic. Eley learns by observing Toyota workers wearing finger-shaped jigs modeled on the robot's hands, generating training data directly from human demonstration rather than depending on simulation. At a technology briefing at Toyota's European headquarters, Eley achieved near-perfect T-shirt folding accuracy after 1,500 practice sessions over two weeks.
Two Decades of Groundwork
This is not a sudden pivot. Toyota has been developing robots for more than two decades, a lineage that includes the Human Support Robot, the Welwalk rehabilitation exoskeleton, and the teleoperated T-HR3 humanoid.
More recently, the Toyota Research Institute has been using diffusion-based generative AI to teach robots physical skills — such as pouring liquid or using a tool — from short human demonstrations rather than manually coded instructions. Toyota has also partnered with Agility Robotics to deploy bipedal Digit robots for tote handling and logistics tasks at sites including Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, showing the company is not dogmatic about form factor.
A Different Bet Than the Competition
The competitive landscape is converging on bipedal designs. Hyundai's Atlas robots, built by Boston Dynamics, will be deployed at its Georgia plant from 2028, and Tesla continues to push Optimus. Toyota is betting instead that a robot's ability to learn fine manual skills quickly — on wheels, from watching its own workforce — matters more for near-term factory deployment.
Whether that bet pays off will depend on execution.
"We aim for a world where robots coexist with humans, rather than replacing them." — Hiroki Nakajima, Executive Vice President
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