Thousands of Engineers Band Together to Create Toyota's Soccer-Playing Machine
Toyota's Soccer-Playing Robot PIXI: A Symbol of Innovation and Sustainability
In a groundbreaking move, Toyota's Engineering Society, a team of dedicated volunteers among the company's 28,000 employees, has developed the world's first hydrogen-powered autonomous soccer robot named PIXI. This innovative project, aimed at showcasing Toyota's advancements in hydrogen fuel technology, robotics, and autonomous systems, reflects the company's commitment to sustainable and imaginative mobility solutions.
PIXI was conceived with the aim of demonstrating Toyota's cutting-edge capabilities in hydrogen-fueled autonomous machines. The robot, which can aim and shoot soccer balls with precision, including powerful shots of up to 85 km/h, aligns with Toyota’s vision of inventing the future of mobility collaboratively and creatively, pushing boundaries in clean energy and autonomous robotics technologies.
The creation of PIXI was a secret project during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The team, which included members with little to no experience in robot development, learned about hardware design from experienced colleagues within the company. They even collected data from human players to understand the intricacies of a good kick.
Toyota's Engineering Society (TES), established in 1947, is not a department within the company but a team of volunteers. Full-time members of TES are allocated development funds and research facilities by the company. The group's research aims to improve technical capabilities and ignite the monozukuri spirit in members, a commitment to manufacturing excellence that is central to Toyota's philosophy.
The soccer robot project was chosen to appeal to people of all ages and backgrounds. PIXI, like other unconventional projects undertaken by TES such as a fish robot for collecting marine garbage and an AI-driven basketball robot created in 2017, reflects Toyota's broader commitment to sustainable, imaginative, and inclusive mobility solutions guided by their corporate philosophy.
Former Japanese national soccer player Satoshi Tsunami commented that PIXI is better at aiming and shooting soccer balls than he is, underscoring the robot's impressive capabilities. While there are no public details about the precise origin or organizational structure of the Engineering Society or PIXI project, they clearly fit within Toyota’s corporate governance and innovation strategy as outlined in their latest corporate governance report and executive focus on research and development.
In conclusion, Toyota’s Engineering Society supports advanced research and embodies the Toyoda Principles and Toyota Philosophy centered on innovative, quality manufacturing and societal contribution through mobility. The hydrogen-powered autonomous soccer robot PIXI was developed to showcase Toyota's innovations in hydrogen fuel and autonomous robotics, aligning with the corporate vision of inventing future mobility collaboratively and sustainably. This project reflects Toyota’s commitment to pioneering clean energy and AI-driven autonomous technologies, underscoring the company’s research and development ethos in the context of mobility and robotics.
The soccer robot PIXI, with its precision in aiming and shooting soccer balls, including powerful shots of up to 85 km/h, demonstrates Toyota's advancements in AI-driven autonomous robotics technology. This innovative project, aligned with Toyota’s vision of inventing the future of mobility sustainably, also serves as a testament to their passion for merging sports with technology. The engineering team behind PIXI, despite possessing little robot development experience, showcased Toyota's commitment to fostering imaginative and inclusive mobility solutions by learning from their experienced colleagues within the company.
