Hitachi · research humanoid
EMIEW
Hitachi's first EMIEW ('Excellent Mobility and Interactive Existence as Workmate'), a 1.3 m wheeled humanoid that could keep pace with a walking person and steer around obstacles.
- Price
- —Not published
- Height
- 130 cmTaller than 19%
- Weight
- 70 kgHeavier than 60%
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- 6.0 km/hFaster than 68%
- Battery
- —Not published
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
A retired humanoid from Hitachi.
Real-world use
Demonstrated at Expo 2005 Aichi (NEDO project)
Timeline
- Released
- Not yet
Maker
HitachiCompany · founded 1910 · Tokyo, JapanPublic company (TYO: 6501); fiscal 2025 revenue about 10.59 trillion yen
How it stacks up
Against other humanoids that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
EMIEW is taller than 19% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
EMIEW is heavier than 60% of the 277 other humanoids that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
EMIEW is faster than 68% of the 122 other humanoids that publish a speed. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: payload, joints, battery, price.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current humanoids.
- 94 views of its Wikipedia article in the last 90 days (EMIEW)
- 4 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 2026-10-13; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Movement
- Wheeled base
- Actuators & motors
- Two-wheeled self-balancing (inverted-pendulum style) drive; it steers by swinging its body side to side to shift its centre of gravity. Top speed 6 km/h, acceleration up to 4 m/s squared (company figures). Arms 6 DoF each.
- Hands
- 1 DoF per hand (simple grip).
- Sensors & vision
- A vision sensor, multiple audio sensors able to locate sound over 360 degrees, gradient sensors for stable moving and stopping, and proximity sensors for collision avoidance.
- Materials & build
- 130 cm tall, about 70 kg.
- AI & software
- Conversation at about 1 m without a handheld microphone, combined with face recognition; about 100-word vocabulary (Hitachi figure) and speech synthesis.
- Other details
- Developed under NEDO's Project for the Practical Application of Next-generation Robots, aimed at office logistics and reception-desk guidance.
Lineage
Every Hitachi humanoid in order.
Watch EMIEW
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
- Built
- Not stated (research prototypes)
- Sold or delivered
- Not sold; research robot
- Where it is sold or used
- Hitachi, Japan
- Customers and pilots
- Demonstrated at Expo 2005 Aichi (NEDO project)
News
The latest 4, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Hitachi launches EMIEW3 with a cloud 'remote brain'
Hitachi announced EMIEW3, a 90 cm, 15 kg customer-service robot linked to a cloud control platform, tracing the line back to the 2005 EMIEW.
Hitachi - Smaller EMIEW 2 follows
Hitachi's 80 cm EMIEW 2 could pick out voices from noise and find objects using network cameras.
Hitachi - EMIEW shown at Expo 2005 Aichi
Hitachi scheduled EMIEW demonstrations at the Expo's Morizo and Kiccoro Exhibition Center in June and its group pavilion in summer.
Hitachi - Hitachi unveils fast wheeled humanoid EMIEW
Hitachi announced EMIEW, a 1.3 m two-wheeled robot that could keep up with a fast-walking person and talk with people.
Hitachi
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 | EMIEWHitachi |  enonFujitsu Frontech and Fujitsu LaboratoriesSame job: social · Both on wheels · Both past robots · Similar size |  wakamaruMitsubishi Heavy IndustriesSame job: social · Both on wheels · Both past robots · Similar size |  RobotinhoUniversity of Freiburg and University of Bonn (team NimbRo, Sven Behnke)Same job: social · Both on wheels · Both past robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2005-03-15 | 2005-09-13 | 2003-02 | 2006-09 |
| Status | Retired | Discontinued | Discontinued | Retired |
| Height | 130 cm | 130 cm | 100 cm | — |
| Weight | 70 kg | 50 kg | — | — |
| Joints | — | — | — | — |
| Speed | 6 km/h | 3 km/h | 1 km/h | — |
| Payload | — | — | — | — |
| Battery | — | — | 2 h | — |
| Price | — | $54,000 | $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