Toyota Research Institute SVP on the difficulty of building the perfect home robot • TechCrunch

Earlier this week, the Toyota Research Institute opened the doors of its Bay Area offices to members of the media for the first time. It was a day full of demos, ranging from driving simulators and drifting instructors to conversations around machine learning and sustainability. Robotics, a longtime focus of Toyota's research division, were on display, as well. First was something more along the lines of what one would expect from Toyota: an industrial arm with a modified gripper designed for the surprisingly complex task of moving boxes from the back of a truck to nearby conveyor belts -- something most factories are hoping to automate in the future. The other is a bit more surprising -- at least for those who haven't followed the division's work that closely.