Toyota will put its humanoid and other advanced robots to practical use soon after 2010 to help people in factories, hospitals, homes and around town.

Unveiling two new robots called the ‘mobility robot’ and the ‘violin-playing robot’, Japan’s top automaker said it would step up research and development in the field, in part by doubling the number of engineers to about 200 in around three years.

Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said robotics will be a core business for the company in coming years. Toyota will test out its robots at hospitals, Toyota-related facilities and other places starting next year, he said. And the company hopes to put what it calls “partner robots” to real use by 2010, he said.

The company will also build a research facility dedicated to robot technology on the site of one of its domestic factories next year, president Katsuaki Watanabe said.

Researchers in Japan, including from academia and companies such as rival Honda, are racing to build robots smart enough to serve the needs of the elderly in a country where 40 per cent of the population is expected to be over 65 by 2055.

Article taken from Cnet