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Toyota accelerates robotics investment to automate factories
Toyota is significantly expanding its robotics and artificial intelligence investments to modernize production lines and address global labor shortages. The company plans to deploy approximately 400,000 robots, with an estimated annual investment of 1 trillion yen (roughly $6.4 billion) starting in 2028 to support factory automation across its group and supply chain.
Toyota’s strategy includes the development of Large Behavior Models in collaboration with Boston Dynamics to enable robots to learn tasks through human demonstration. This technology is being applied to the Atlas humanoid robot and Toyota’s own ELEY humanoid robot, which is designed for fine motor tasks like part handling. Additionally, Walden Robotics, a spin-off from Toyota Research Institute that received $300 million in funding, has already deployed general-purpose robots in Toyota’s North American facilities.
This move places Toyota in direct competition with companies like Tesla, which aims for high-volume production of its Optimus humanoid robot, and Hyundai, which plans to produce Boston Dynamics’ Atlas robots in the United States by 2028. Analysts suggest that Toyota’s ability to integrate robotics, AI, and manufacturing processes could allow it to capture between 3% and 8% of the global humanoid robot market by 2035.
Entities
Boston Dynamics · Hyundai Motor Group · Tesla · Toyota · Walden Robotics
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Toyota is developing a 50kg humanoid robot named ELEY. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Toyota expects to invest about 1 trillion yen annually for factory modernization starting in 2028. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Walden Robotics secured $300 million in funding and has a valuation of $1.1 billion. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Hyundai plans to produce Boston Dynamics' Atlas robots in Georgia, USA, by 2028. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Goldman Sachs analysts predict Toyota could hold 3% to 8% of the humanoid robot market by 2035. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Toyota plans to build a new vehicle assembly plant in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, to be operational in the early 2030s. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Toyota is collaborating with Boston Dynamics to develop Large Behavior Models. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com
- [● 2 SOURCES] Toyota plans to deploy approximately 400,000 robots. www.epochtimes.com · www.ithome.com