Toyota's Partner Robot research covers five projects including a humanoid robot dexterous enough to play the violin and Robina, initially functioning as a tour guide around Toyota facilities before moving into nursing homes as an assistant robot. The most recent project is the Human Support Robot (HSR) introduced in 2012.

The HSR has been explicitly designed to help people with a disability live more independently. The robot is controlled by a tablet interface and can be directed to open doors, fetch things or deliver bottles of water.

Initially tested in Japan, this is the first time Toyota has rolled HSR out into North America. The in-home trial partnered the robot assistant with Romulo (Romy) Camargo, a decorated US war veteran who suffered injuries in Afghanistan leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Once they were paired up, his robot sidekick got to work helping him get snacks from the pantry and open doors.

"When they opened the box, and I saw the robot, I figured we would unfold the next chapter in human support robots helping people with disabilities," says Camargo. describing his first reaction to HSR, "… this research is going to change the world."