Toyota Research Institute · space humanoid
Kirobo
A 34 cm, 1 kg humanoid companion robot that flew to the ISS on Kounotori 4 and talked with astronaut Koichi Wakata to study robot companionship for isolated people.
- Price
- —Not published
- Height
- 34 cmTaller than 0%
- Weight
- 1 kgHeavier than 0%
- Payload
- —Not published
- Speed
- —Not published
- 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
First robot to speak in space (August 2013) and holder of a Guinness record for the highest-altitude robot conversation; kept despite its 34 cm size because of that history.
Real-world use
Spent 558 days on the International Space Station, 2013-2015.
Timeline
- Released
- Not yet
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.
Kirobo is taller than 0% of the 305 other humanoids that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Kirobo is heavier than 0% 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.
- 602 views of its Wikipedia article in the last 90 days (Kirobo)
- 5 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.
- Hands
- none
- Movement
- Stationary
- Sensors & vision
- Facial-recognition camera and a recording camera (Toyota).
- Materials & build
- Small robot about 34 cm tall and about 1 kg; designed by Tomotaka Takahashi, with hardware and motion generation by the University of Tokyo and Robo Garage.
- AI & software
- Voice recognition (Toyota), natural-language processing and speech synthesis (VoiceText from Hoya Service); conversation content by Dentsu. Speaks Japanese.
- Other details
- Gestures while talking and has telecommunications for contact with the ground. Built with Dentsu, University of Tokyo RCAST, Robo Garage and Toyota, with help from JAXA.
Lineage
Every Toyota, Dentsu, University of Tokyo RCAST and Robo Garage 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 Kirobo
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
- Two: Kirobo for the ISS and a ground twin, Mirata (Toyota).
- Sold or delivered
- Not sold.
- Where it is sold or used
- International Space Station; Japan
- Customers and pilots
- JAXA (flown to the ISS 2013-2015)
News
The latest 5, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Kirobo earns two Guinness World Records
Recognised as the first companion robot in space and for the highest-altitude robot conversation.
Toyota UK Media - Kirobo returns to Earth
After about 18 months on the ISS, Kirobo splashed down in the Pacific and was back in Japan in March.
Toyota UK Media - First robot-human chat in space
Kirobo talked with Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata on the ISS.
Toyota UK Media - First robot to speak in space
Kirobo spoke its first words aboard the ISS.
Toyota Canada - Kirobo launched to the ISS
Kirobo flew from Tanegashima on the Kounotori 4 cargo vehicle, arriving about six days later.
Toyota Canada
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. Few robots match closely, so these are the nearest matches. How we choose
| Measure | KiroboToyota, Dentsu, University of Tokyo RCAST and Robo Garage |  Aiko ChihiraToshiba (with Osaka University)Same job: social · Both fixed in place · Both past robots |  Robonaut 2 (R2)NASA Johnson Space Center and General MotorsSame job: space · Both fixed in place · Both past robots |  SimonGeorgia Institute of Technology (Socially Intelligent Machines Lab)Same job: social · Both fixed in place · Both past robots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First shown | 2013-06-26 | 2014-10-07 | 2010-02-04 | 2008 |
| Status | Retired | Retired | Retired | Retired |
| Height | 34 cm | — | 102 cm | — |
| Weight | 1 kg | — | 149.7 kg | — |
| Joints | — | — | 42 | — |
| Speed | — | — | — | — |
| Payload | — | — | 9 kg | — |
| Battery | — | — | — | — |
| Price | — | — | — | — |
Sources
Figures come from the maker. Every link below backs something on this page.
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