Toyota bets on Eley, a 50 kg humanoid that learns by watching workers

Toyota executives have recently been presenting their robotics strategy to investors around the world. It provides for a large-scale rollout of robots, an annual budget for factory automation and a dedicated robotics team, led by the head of production.

Toyota is developing its own humanoid, Eley, in the 50 kg class. It learns new tasks by watching workers and targets delicate jobs, such as moving parts from one crate to another.

Eley will use a foundation model designed by the Toyota Research Institute, the group's California subsidiary. The model turns general instructions into precise movements and controls the motors in real time. It already powers the Atlas humanoid from Boston Dynamics.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs estimate that Toyota could hold 3% to 8% of the humanoid robot market by 2035, thanks to its technical expertise and its capacity for large-scale production.