Toyota Research Institute · entertainment humanoid
Toyota Partner Robot
walking type
A 1.2 m bipedal humanoid announced with wheeled and rideable siblings; its hands worked the trumpet valves while artificial lips shaped the notes. In July 2009 a later version ran at 7 km/h.
- Price
- —Not published
- Height
- 120 cmTaller than 12%
- Weight
- 35 kgHeavier than 19%
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- —Not published
- Battery
- —Not published
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Why it matters
Played the trumpet using artificial lips that moved like a human player's.
Real-world use
Robot band performances at the Toyota Group Pavilion, Expo 2005 Aichi, from March 2005.
Maker
Toyota Research InstituteCompany · founded 2016 · Los Altos, California, United StatesToyota subsidiary; launched with $1 billion over five years.
How it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
Toyota Partner Robot (walking type) is taller than 12% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Toyota Partner Robot (walking type) is heavier than 19% of the 277 other humanoids that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: speed, payload, joints, battery, price.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current humanoids.
- 234 views of its Wikipedia article in the last 90 days (Toyota Partner Robot)
- 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.
- Movement
- Walks on legs
- Actuators & motors
- Toyota said in 2004 it was developing a wire-operation system: actuators sit in the torso and pull wires to move the arms and legs, making the limbs lighter, more supple and faster.
- Hands
- Hands able to do a range of tasks; together with Toyota-developed artificial lips that move with human-like finesse they let the robot play the trumpet.
- Sensors & vision
- A small, low-cost, high-precision attitude (tilt) sensor derived from Toyota's automotive sensor technology.
- Compute
- Intel-based computer (Partner entry).
- Battery & power
- Lithium-ion, about 30 minutes of operation (Partner entry).
- AI & software
- Real-time Linux; balance control extended from Toyota's vehicle stability (driving control) technology.
Lineage
Every Toyota Motor Corporation humanoid in order.
Toyota Partner Robot (walking type)2004Retired
Toyota Partner Robot (violin-playing)2007Retired
Toyota Partner Robot (running humanoid)2009Retired
Human Support Robot (HSR)2012Research
Kirobo2013Retired
T-HR32017Research- No public photo yetWe only show photos we're allowed to useCUE (first generation)2018Retired
- No public photo yetWe only show photos we're allowed to useCUE32019Retired
CUE62022Research
Punyo2024Research
CUE72026Research
Toyota Research Institute also makes 1 machine and 1 vehicle. See every Toyota Research Institute robot
Watch Toyota Partner Robot (walking type)
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- Not published
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Sold or delivered
- Never sold; an entertainment and demonstration robot (Toyota).
- Where it is sold or used
- Japan (Expo 2005, Aichi)
- Customers and pilots
- Shown in the Toyota Group Pavilion at Expo 2005, Aichi (from March 2005)
News
The latest 2, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Toyota Group Announces Plans for EXPO 2005 AICHI, JAPAN Pavilion Performance
Toyota announced its Expo 2005 performance plans, including a robot band playing trumpets, tubas and drums.
Toyota Motor Corporation - Toyota announces trumpet-playing partner robots
Toyota unveiled walking, rolling and rideable partner robots, with artificial lips for playing the trumpet.
Toyota Motor Corporation
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 | Toyota Partner Robot (walking type)Toyota Motor Corporation |  ASIMO (new ASIMO)HondaSame job: entertainment · Both walk · Both past robots · Similar size |  KiyomoritmsukSame job: entertainment · Both walk · Both past robots |
|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2004-03-11 | 2005-12-13 | 2005-12 |
| Status | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Height | 120 cm | 130 cm | — |
| Weight | 35 kg | 54 kg | — |
| Joints | — | 34 | — |
| Speed | — | 6 km/h | — |
| Payload | — | — | — |
| Battery | — | — | — |
| Price | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from the maker. Every link below backs something on this page.
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