The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to reports, Toyota Motor Corporation (TM.US) and Honda Motor (HMC.US) are testing humanoid robots at the Japanese factory, and their tasks include wiring harness installation to final inspection. Both Japanese car companies showcased their latest products at the 2026 Japan Mobility Show.
Toyota: Focusing on “embodied learning” and plans to deploy in 2028
According to reports, Toyota has made progress on the ELEY (Personalized Learning Robot to Improve Yield) project. This is a battery-powered wheeled robot manufactured in-house by Toyota and weighs about 50 kg. It can perform tasks such as picking parts from the box, placing them in the desired location, and folding cloth. In terms of training methods, workers perform accurate assembly actions by wearing finger-like attachments that mimic the shape of a robot's hand. These actions are converted into data for the robot to learn.
Toyota plans to put into operation up to 400,000 robots of various types starting in 2028, of which approximately 150,000 will be deployed at the headquarters plant. Humanoid robots will be gradually introduced as factories are upgraded. Toyota emphasized that these robots will work collaboratively with humans rather than replace humans.
Honda: Focusing on dexterous hands, plans to launch in the early 2030s
Meanwhile, Honda is focusing on developing humanoid robots with dexterous hands rather than walking robots, and retired from ASIMO in 2022. Honda plans to conduct large-scale tests at its Yorii plant, first sorting the purchased parts and then assembling them. The company aims to bring this technology to market in the early 2030s.
Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said that there is still “a long way to go” until humanoid robots can fully work throughout the factory, but he expects robots to gradually take over parts handling. In addition, Honda also plans to take into account the factor of humanoid robot assisted production in future vehicle design stages.