Mitsubishi Heavy Industries · home humanoid
wakamaru
A 1 m wheeled home robot with a head, two arms and a torso that recognised faces, talked, and returned to its charger by itself. Sales fell far short of the company's targets.
- Price
- $14,300Cheaper than 69%
- Height
- 100 cmTaller than 8%
- Weight
- —Not published
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- 1.0 km/hFaster than 5%
- Battery
- 2 hRuns longer than 15%
Not sure this is the one? Find the best robot for your job Starts with: greet and guide customers. Five more quick questions.
Why it matters
One of the first humanoid-shaped robots offered for sale to households, aimed partly at keeping an eye on elderly relatives.
Real-world use
A test sale of 100 units to Tokyo households began in September 2005; by 2008 it was off the market and rented as a receptionist.
How it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
wakamaru is taller than 8% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
wakamaru is faster than 5% of the 122 other humanoids that publish a speed. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
wakamaru runs longer than 15% of the 119 other humanoids that publish a battery. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
wakamaru costs less than 69% of the 85 other humanoids that publish a price. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: weight, payload, joints.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current humanoids.
- 472 views of its Wikipedia article in the last 90 days (Wakamaru)
- 2 news stories from reputable press listed on this page
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-14; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Hands
- simple
- Movement
- Wheeled base
- Actuators & motors
- DC servomotors; a wheeled base moves at up to 1 km/h.
- Sensors & vision
- Omnidirectional camera on top of the head and forward camera; ultrasonic and infrared obstacle sensors; bumpers; touch sensor; encoders; directional microphone.
- Compute
- Multiple CPUs.
- Battery & power
- Lithium-ion, about 2 hours, returns to its charger automatically.
- Materials & build
- Hard plastic exterior over metal and plastic skeleton; 100 cm, 30 kg.
- AI & software
- Linux with custom software; alarms, news, weather and home-watching.
- Other details
- 13 DoF; broadband/wireless connection, could send photos to the owner's phone. Sold for JPY 1.5 million plus JPY 10,000 a month.
From the maker
wakamaru is the only humanoid from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in the atlas.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries also makes 1 machine. See every Mitsubishi Heavy Industries robot
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- $14,300JPY 1.5 million plus JPY 10,000/month service fee (Slashdot, Sept 2005)
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Built
- 100 units in the 2005 test sale
- Sold or delivered
- 100 units offered to Tokyo households from September 16, 2005 (PC Watch, 2005).
- Where it is sold or used
- Japan
- Customers and pilots
- Rented as a receptionist by 2007 at about US$1,000 a day
News
The latest 2, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- 100-unit home sale
Mitsubishi offered 100 Linux-based wakamaru robots to Tokyo homes for about US$14,000.
Slashdot - Annual Report 2003 — Development of Futuristic Home-Use Robot
MHI's annual report records wakamaru's unveiling in February 2003.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Side by side with its peers
Picked by the same rules for every humanoid: another maker’s robot that moves the same way, is at the same stage and does at least one of the same main jobs, first shown within two years. Closer size and price rank higher. How we choose
| Measure | wakamaruMitsubishi Heavy Industries |  EMIEWHitachiSame job: social · Both on wheels · Both past robots · Similar size |  ARMAR-IIKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (H2T, Tamim Asfour)Same job: home · Both on wheels · Both past robots |  ARMAR-IKarlsruhe Institute of Technology (H2T, Tamim Asfour)Same job: home · Both on wheels · Both past robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2003-02 | 2005-03-15 | 2002 | 2000 |
| Status | Discontinued | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Height | 100 cm | 130 cm | — | — |
| Weight | — | 70 kg | — | — |
| Joints | — | — | — | 25 |
| Speed | 1 km/h | 6 km/h | — | — |
| Payload | — | — | — | — |
| Battery | 2 h | — | — | — |
| Price | $14,300 | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
Photos and logos only identify each robot and its maker. Simbeing is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsing any company, and nothing here is advertising. Figures are for statistics only and are not advice of any kind. Terms of use