Explore Toyota's robots at the World Robot Summit 2025: humanoid ELEY, record-setting CUE, lifelike Tommy-kun, plus factory assembly and hospital deliveries.
© A. Krivonosov
Toyota is preparing to showcase several of its most intriguing robots at the World Robot Summit 2025 AICHI, taking place December 12–14. As a global partner, the company will bring both everyday-assistance robots and solutions for factories and hospitals, signaling that its robotics work has moved beyond flashy demo reels and closer to practical use. That breadth feels deliberate—less about spectacle, more about deployment.
The headliner is the humanoid ELEY, described as the successor to the famed Human Support Robot. While HSR formed the basis for a broad research ecosystem involving dozens of organizations worldwide, ELEY takes a step toward a more human-like body: it has two arms and can tackle complex tasks such as assembly or handling boxes with asynchronous manipulation. Like its predecessor, ELEY can adjust its height to pick objects from the floor or reach an upper shelf, and an omnidirectional base helps it move quickly. It’s also compact: about 45 cm wide, 47.8 cm long, with an adjustable height from 93.9 to 161.9 cm, and a weight of 50 kg. The numbers point to a platform built for tight spaces.
For those who appreciate showmanship, Toyota will bring CUE, the basketball-playing robot that has already made history. The project grew out of internal research aimed at reproducing textbook shooting form, and CUE went on to set two Guinness World Records: 2,020 consecutive free throws and a long-range shot from 24.55 meters. The sixth generation stands 211 cm tall and has learned not only to shoot but also to pass while dribbling; at the summit, demonstration shots are planned on a dedicated court. It’s the kind of spectacle that still earns its place when paired with technical rigor.
Another exhibit is Tommy‑kun, a conversational robot modeled on Toyota Times host Yuta Tomikawa. It uses 30 motors for facial expressions and movement, and conversations rely on a tuned personality, knowledge, and a voice timbre calibrated to the original. Tommy‑kun currently works full time at the Toyota Kaikan corporate museum, and the project explores how people engage with lifelike robots and which interaction habits make dialogue deeper and more natural. The focus on nuance suggests Toyota is testing not just hardware limits but social ones too.
Finally, Toyota will show the more grounded side of robotics: manufacturing demonstrations where robots assemble parts from loose piles of components using low-cost cameras and force feedback, compensating for recognition errors during precise insertions. And at the separate Aichi Robo Fest, the company plans to show Potaro, a hospital delivery robot already in use at Toyota Memorial Hospital—underscoring a wider shift as robots move from showroom curiosities to the infrastructure of everyday life.