{"id":"tokyo-robotics-torobo","manufacturer":"Tokyo Robotics","model":"Torobo","country":"JP","description":"Torobo is a humanoid from Japan's Tokyo Robotics: a dual-arm torso on an omnidirectional wheeled base, with torque sensors in every arm and waist joint. It is aimed at machine learning research and at automating tasks that involve deliberate contact with objects or surroundings. Since 2025 the company has been wholly owned by Yaskawa Electric.","catalog_status":"shipping","specifications":{"height_cm":160,"weight_kg":120,"payload_kg":null,"dof":null,"speed_ms":null,"battery_h":null},"capabilities":["sort","assemble"],"source":{"url":"https://tokyorobotics.jp","verified_at":null,"verified_fields":[],"review_status":"requires_current_source_check"},"evidence":{"manufacturer_review":null,"mera_field_test":{"status":"not_published","report_url":null,"measured_at":null},"verification_note":"A manufacturer documentation check does not verify field performance, inventory or MERA compatibility."},"knowledge":{"summary":"Torobo is a humanoid from Japan's Tokyo Robotics: a dual-arm torso on an omnidirectional wheeled base, with torque sensors in every arm and waist joint. It is aimed at machine learning research and at automating tasks that involve deliberate contact with objects or surroundings. Since 2025 the company has been wholly owned by Yaskawa Electric.","sections":[{"h":"History and launch","p":["The Torobo family dates back to the Torobo Arm research arm of 2017, followed by Torobo Arm Mini in 2018 and the humanoid upper body Torobo-kun in 2020. The full-size Torobo was added in 2022, and a new model was launched in June 2024 together with a new Torobo Hand.","In October 2024 Tokyo Robotics open-sourced simulation models of the new Torobo and its hand. In 2026 it exhibited a second generation, Torobo2, and a bipedal Torobo Humanoid prototype that appeared in IEEE Spectrum's Video Friday."]},{"h":"Design and hardware","p":["Tokyo Robotics lists a height of 1615 mm and a base width of 590 mm. The robot has two 7-axis arms, a 3-axis waist, a 3-axis neck and a 4-axis omnidirectional mobile base, so it drives rather than walks. It weighs about 120 kg, and each arm can hold 7 kg in its worst-case posture.","Its defining feature is joint torque sensing in all arm and waist joints. That enables impedance and force control, safe stops on contact, and contact-rich work such as assembly, cooking or physical interaction with people.","The head is optional: a sensorless default, or a version with a wide-angle stereo camera, a fisheye camera, a ToF depth camera, microphones and a speaker. End effectors are either an in-house gripper with current-limited grip force or the Torobo Hand (16 DoF, close to 200 pressure sensors). A built-in battery gives roughly 3 hours of operation, and the robot can run while charging."]},{"h":"Software and AI","p":["The software stack is ROS-based. It ships with Cartesian impedance control, ZMP-based fall prevention, a state machine for chaining motions and collision-triggered safety stops, plus MoveIt trajectory planning and RViz visualisation. Camera images, joint angles and joint torques can all be logged, which makes the robot useful for collecting training data.","Simulation models exist for Gazebo, MuJoCo and NVIDIA Isaac Sim. An optional second PC with an NVIDIA RTX GPU runs the head sensors and can train and run machine learning models. Torobo Puppet, a scaled-down copy of the robot's upper body that an operator moves by hand, provides teleoperation and data collection."]},{"h":"Applications and deployments","p":["Tokyo Robotics targets manufacturing, logistics, services and machine learning labs. Company videos show Torobo folding laundry, bussing tables, hammering nails, sawing wood and carrying boxes under teleoperation. The company does not publish customer names or unit numbers."]},{"h":"Manufacturer","p":["Tokyo Robotics Inc. was founded in January 2015 and is based in Bunkyo, Tokyo. Its CEO is founder Yoshihiro Sakamoto, a former Waseda University researcher who earned his PhD there in 2013. Yaskawa Electric took full ownership effective 1 July 2025, announced on 3 October 2025."]},{"h":"Price and availability","p":["No price is published. Torobo is sold on request by email, with the head, end effector and image-processing PC offered as options."]}],"timeline":[["2015-01","Tokyo Robotics founded"],["2017","Torobo Arm research arm"],["2020","Torobo-kun humanoid upper body"],["2022","Full-size wheeled Torobo"],["2024-06","New Torobo and Torobo Hand models"],["2024-10","Torobo simulation models open-sourced"],["2025-07","Tokyo Robotics becomes a Yaskawa Electric subsidiary"],["2026-04","Torobo2 and bipedal Torobo Humanoid prototype shown"]],"faq":[["Does Torobo walk?","The standard Torobo rides on an omnidirectional wheeled base. The bipedal Torobo Humanoid is a separate prototype shown in 2026."],["How heavy is Torobo?","About 120 kg at 1615 mm tall, according to the manufacturer."],["What is Torobo used for?","Machine learning research and automating contact-rich, force-controlled tasks such as assembly or surface wiping."],["Who owns Tokyo Robotics?","Yaskawa Electric has owned 100% of the company since July 2025."],["How much does Torobo cost?","Tokyo Robotics does not publish a price; it quotes on request."]],"sources":[{"title":"Torobo","publisher":"Tokyo Robotics","url":"https://robotics.tokyo/technologies/torobo","date":"2026"},{"title":"Technologies (Torobo Hand, Torobo Puppet)","publisher":"Tokyo Robotics","url":"https://robotics.tokyo/technologies","date":"2026"},{"title":"Legacy Products","publisher":"Tokyo Robotics","url":"https://robotics.tokyo/technologies/legacy-products","date":"2026"},{"title":"Features (company news)","publisher":"Tokyo Robotics","url":"https://robotics.tokyo/features","date":"2026"},{"title":"About us","publisher":"Tokyo Robotics","url":"https://robotics.tokyo/about-us","date":"2026"}],"updated":"2026-10-10"},"mera":{"rental_with_operator":false,"sale_in_offer":false,"availability":"confirmation_required","shop_url":null},"url":"https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoids/tokyo-robotics-torobo","inquiry_url":"https://merarobotics.com/en/start?service=purchase&robot=tokyo-robotics-torobo"}