🇯🇵Robots from Japan
Discover 39 robots and autonomous systems developed by pioneering robotics manufacturers headquartered in Japan.
Select any country to view its robotics innovations.
ASIMO 2.0
ASIMO 2.0 is Honda’s advanced humanoid robot, designed to showcase the future of human-robot interaction. With a sleek design and impressive mobility, it can walk, run, climb stairs, and even perform tasks like opening doors and carrying objects. Its enhanced sensors and AI let it recognize people, respond to voice commands, and interact autonomously in real-time environments. ASIMO 2.0 was intended as a research platform and public ambassador, embodying over a decade of robotics innovation. It demonstrates Honda’s commitment to robotics as a tool for improving lives, especially in public service, research, and caregiving scenarios.
Kaleido 8.0
The Kaleido 8.0 is an advanced humanoid robot developed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries as part of its Robust Humanoid Platform program. As the eighth generation in the Kaleido series, it focuses on real-world task execution through stable bipedal locomotion, force-sensitive joints, and real-time balance correction. The robot is designed for collaborative work with humans, enabling coordinated object handling and adaptive movement in dynamic environments.
NEXTAGE Fillie
The NEXTAGE Fillie is a compact collaborative humanoid robot designed for safe human-robot interaction in industrial and research settings. Featuring a humanoid form with dual arms, it excels in assembly tasks, object manipulation, and environment recognition using integrated stereo cameras on the head and optional hand cameras. With 15 degrees of freedom across arms, neck, and waist, it offers precise movements with 1.5kg payload per arm and 0.03mm repeatability. Its smaller, lighter design compared to predecessors enables quicker motions while maintaining curved arm shapes to prevent pinching. Equipped with LED status indicators on "feelers" for visibility, Fillie supports image-based navigation and versatile end-effectors for tasks like reception, inspection, and logistics. Ideal for manufacturing side-by-side with humans, it emphasizes likeable aesthetics, cost-performance, and expandability for R&D or production automation.
Punyo
Punyo is a soft humanoid robot developed by Toyota Research Institute for whole-body manipulation research, emphasizing safe human-robot interaction in assistive scenarios like aging in place. Its upper body features compliant materials covering hands, arms, and chest, integrated with tactile sensors and air-filled bladders for adaptive stiffness and force sensing during contact-rich tasks. Underneath lies a rigid structure with two precise robot arms, torso frame, and waist actuator, enabling hybrid precision and compliance. Punyo's "paws"—inflatable latex bubbles with internal cameras detecting dot pattern deformations—facilitate gripperless grasping of bulky objects by hugging to the torso or slinging onto shoulders. Trained via teleoperation, diffusion policy learning from demonstrations, and example-guided reinforcement learning, it handles groceries, furniture, dishwashers, and doors. With a wheeled base for mobility, ROS2 support, and focus on household chores, Punyo prioritizes safety, dexterity, and natural movements over rigid manipulation.
NAO
NAO is a compact bipedal humanoid robot renowned for its interactive capabilities in education, research, and healthcare. Standing at 58 cm with 25 degrees of freedom, it features human-like proportions enabling fluid walking, waving, dancing, and sitting motions. Equipped with dual HD cameras for face and object recognition, four directional microphones for speech interaction in 20+ languages, and an array of sensors including sonars, inertial units, force-sensitive resistors, and tactile sensors, NAO perceives its environment intuitively. Powered by NAOqi OS on an Intel Atom processor, it supports programmable behaviors via Choregraphe suite, including fall detection/recovery and balancing. Its LED eyes and expressive gestures foster engaging human-robot interaction, making it ideal for STEM teaching, autism therapy, RoboCup competitions, and social robotics studies. Robust polycarbonate construction ensures durability for repeated use in dynamic settings.
Alter 3
Alter 3 is an advanced humanoid robot engineered for exploring artificial life, expression, and human-robot interaction through dynamic, autonomous movements. Featuring 43 pneumatic actuators, it generates spontaneous gestures, facial expressions, and simulated locomotion like walking or running without bipedal mobility. Integrated with GPT-4 for interpreting verbal instructions into physical actions, it mimics human behaviors, emotions, and even non-human entities such as ghosts or animals. Equipped with eye cameras for visual learning and a vocal mouth for sound production, Alter 3 excels in artistic performances, including orchestra conducting and opera participation. Its exposed mechanical structure emphasizes minimalism, using central pattern generators and neural networks for unpredictable, evolving interactions that challenge perceptions of life and creativity in robotics.
Pepper
Pepper is a humanoid social robot engineered for human interaction, featuring expressive facial animations via LED eyes and gestures powered by 20 DC motors. Standing at 120 cm with omnidirectional wheeled mobility reaching 3 km/h, it navigates indoor spaces using laser scanners, sonars, and cameras for obstacle avoidance and people detection. Equipped with dual 5MP HD cameras, a 3D depth sensor, four microphones, and touch sensors, Pepper recognizes faces, emotions, and voices in over 20 languages. Its chest-mounted 10.1-inch tablet enables touch interactions, while NAOqi OS supports Python, C++, Java, and Choregraphe for custom behaviors. Ideal for retail, education, healthcare, and hospitality, Pepper engages users through speech synthesis, dialogue engines, and emotional responses, fostering natural collaboration without true bipedal walking but mimicking humanoid proportions for approachability.
Torobo
Torobo is a torque-controlled humanoid robot designed for advanced AI and robotics research, emphasizing precision manipulation and safe human interaction. Standing 166 cm tall with dual 7-axis arms, a 3-axis waist, 3-axis neck, and 4-axis omnidirectional mobile base, it offers human-like range of motion for complex tasks like hammering, sawing, and table wiping. High-precision torque sensors in all arm and waist joints enable impedance control, force limiting, and collision detection, allowing delicate operations alongside heavy lifting up to 20 kg. Powered by ROS for trajectory planning and simulation in Gazebo or MuJoCo, Torobo supports modular sensor integration including cameras and LiDAR. Its robust build suits industrial, academic, and assistive applications, particularly Japan's aging population initiatives, with features like ZMP-based balance and real-time compliance for collaborative environments.
HRP-4
The HRP-4 is a lightweight, slim humanoid robotics platform developed for advanced research in human-robot collaboration and bipedal locomotion. Standing at 151 cm tall and weighing just 39 kg, it features 34 degrees of freedom, including 7 DOF per arm for precise object manipulation and 6 DOF per leg for stable walking. Equipped with low-power motors under 80W for enhanced safety around humans, it performs natural movements like waist twisting, one-footed balance, and dexterous five-fingered hand grasping. Cameras and microphones enable face recognition, object tracking, and voice command response. Designed as a successor to HRP-2 and HRP-3, HRP-4 supports indoor navigation in human environments, with flexible joints for athletic poses and tasks. Its compact, human-proportioned body facilitates safer interaction, object handling up to 0.5 kg per arm, and motion control software from AIST, accelerating humanoid R&D for practical applications like assistive work.
HRP-3
The HRP-3 humanoid robot, developed by Kawada Industries in collaboration with AIST and Kawasaki Heavy Industries, represents a significant advancement in bipedal robotics for harsh environments. Standing at 160 cm tall and weighing 68 kg, it features 36-42 degrees of freedom, enabling complex manipulations and stable locomotion on slippery or uneven surfaces. Designed for disaster relief, construction, and industrial tasks, HRP-3 boasts dustproof and water-resistant construction, allowing operation under heavy rain or dust. Enhanced leg-arm coordination supports carrying heavy loads, while autonomous/remote hybrid control improves task efficiency. Equipped with stereo cameras, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and force sensors, it navigates challenging terrains, recovers from falls, and performs collaborative work with humans. Its robust hardware and advanced software make it a pioneer in practical humanoid applications beyond laboratories.
AIREC
AIREC is a humanoid robot developed by Waseda University under Japan's JST Moonshot Program, specializing in elderly care and medical assistance. Standing 154 cm tall and weighing 150 kg, it features bipedal design with advanced AI for real-time human movement recognition, force adjustment, and adaptive behaviors. Key capabilities include patient repositioning to prevent bedsores, assisting with dressing like putting on socks, joint rehabilitation, biometric data acquisition (heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature), ultrasound examinations, and basic cooking motions. Powered by deep neural networks for predictive joint movements and embodied intelligence, AIREC integrates multimodal learning from human demonstrations, enabling natural physical interactions, emotional expression, and semi-autonomous caregiving tasks in nursing environments. Variants like Dry-AIREC emphasize safe, pain-free support for daily activities, bridging the gap in Japan's aging society.
CUE7
CUE7 is Toyota's advanced research humanoid robot designed to demonstrate precision motion, perception, and AI-driven athletic performance through basketball tasks. Standing 7 feet 2 inches tall and weighing 163 pounds, the robot represents a complete redesign philosophy emphasizing embodied AI over pre-programmed instructions. CUE7 integrates reinforcement learning with model predictive control, enabling dynamic movements including dribbling, shooting, and natural posture transitions. The platform combines real-time visual recognition, distance calculation, and trajectory optimization to execute complex athletic maneuvers with high repeatability. Its lightweight construction, dual-wheel inverted base, and human motion-trained behaviors create surprisingly natural movement patterns that mirror human athletes rather than mechanical systems.
Cinnamon 1
Cinnamon 1 is a next-generation mass-produced bipedal humanoid robot developed by Donut Robotics, designed for noisy industrial environments like construction sites and factories. It features autonomous AI powered by a Vision-Language-Action (VLA) system, enabling it to interpret visual, linguistic, and contextual cues to perform tasks independently. A standout capability is its world-first "Silent Gesture Control," allowing operators to command the robot via hand gestures instead of voice, ensuring functionality in high-decibel settings. Built on an OEM platform with custom AI integration, Cinnamon 1 aims to replace human labor in security, light manufacturing, and customer service roles, with domestic Japanese production planned for future iterations.