Toyota hopes robots can be helpers in aging Japanese society
Company envisions robots to help with chores, even companionship, Via Denver Post
In a demo this fall by one of Toyota’s partners, an AI startup called Preferred Networks Inc., the robot was able to learn where books, pens and other items belonged on a shelf, and clean a room that looked like it had been turned upside down by a 3-year-old. Using its sensor eyes and its pincer, the machine arranged a pair of slippers neatly on the floor next to each other, with both feet pointing in the same direction.
Asked when its home helpers will be available to consumers, Toyota wouldn’t say. But adviser Masanori Sugiyama, a former top manager in the robot program, says the HSR could be ready for hospitals and rest homes in two or three years to do simple tasks such as tidying up or delivering meals. For machines with more profound skills, the wait will be longer.