Toyota workers reportedly begin training humanoid robots on assembly lines
TechnologyUnverifiedUpdated:
Toyota workers are reportedly teaching ELEY humanoid robots precise hand-movement tasks on assembly lines, marking a shift from conventional task-specific factory robots toward training human-shaped machines in production settings.
Workers teach hand movements using jigs
Ars Technica reports that Toyota has started deploying some ELEY humanoid robots on assembly lines, where workers teach them tasks using jigs based on the robots’ fingers. The report says Toyota Motor group plans to invest $6.42 billion annually from 2028 to upgrade factories, targeting 150,000 robots in its own automotive plants and another 250,000 at group-company component and materials facilities.
A Toyota executive reportedly said the goal is coexistence with human workers rather than directly replacing them. The number already deployed and the number that would be humanoid robots remain unclear.
Factory automation has typically relied on specialized robotic arms at workstations and mobile robots that transport components or materials.
Toyota is reported to have begun placing some wheeled ELEY humanoid robots on assembly lines for worker-led training, alongside a prospective plan for as many as 400,000 factory robots across the Toyota Motor group.
Separating planned robots from deployed units
The reported program would move humanoid robots from a prospective technology into worker-guided training on assembly lines, while leaving major questions about safety, cost-effectiveness, and the eventual scale of deployment.
Sources
- Ars TechnicaToyota orders workers to train humanoid robots but says humans won't be replacedRead source →