By 2010, Toyota will fetch tea and tidy your home
06/01/2005

The Asahi Shimbun


Toyota Motor Corp. plans to move from the garage to the kitchen and bedroom.

The auto giant has set up a division to make the company a powerhouse in the potentially lucrative sector of robots for household use.

In 2010, the automaker intends to start selling next-generation household robots to help people receive visitors, raise children and provide nursing care for sick and elderly patients, company officials said.

With the birthrate declining and the population aging, Toyota expects these robots to be in high demand to make up for labor shortages, especially in the services industry, the officials said.

The company expects robot-production to become a major business unit following its automobile and housing divisions, the officials said. A liaison group will be set up with Toyota affiliates, including auto parts maker Denso Corp., to further advance robot technologies.

The automaker has already developed popular biped robots, which are currently playing musical instruments to entertain visitors at the Aichi Expo.

The company's ``partner robot'' development section, a new division made up of about 60 workers, including staff dispatched from affiliates, will try to reduce weight, increase walking speeds and develop long-lasting batteries for the robots.

``The technology to make household robots use tools skillfully is an extension of developing conventional industrial robots,'' a company official said.

In the initial stages, Toyota will develop a type of receptionist-robot that can offer drinks for customers while determining their preferences on cars. These robots will be placed in Toyota's 5,000 sales outlets across the nation.

The automaker also plans to develop robots that will ``live'' with families and do household chores.

Toyota has already set up a study session with medical organizations concerning robots that can be used in health services and nursing care.

To ensure marketability, the retail price for the household robots will need to be kept in a range between 100,000 and several hundred thousand yen, the officials said. The prices should come down when the company starts mass-producing the robots.(IHT/Asahi: June 1,2005)