New robot from Toyota: CUE series and world record
The new robot is the latest addition to Toyota’s line of humanoid creations. The CUE7 model set a world record by making 2,020 assisted free throws. This technological demonstration is part of Toyota’s approach to developing artificial intelligence from scratch.
From looms to basketball robots
Toyota, known as the world’s largest automaker, is not limited to cars alone. The company started in the textile industry, manufacturing automatic looms as early as the 1920s. It only entered automobile production in 1934, making it younger than many American automakers. However, in 2026, Toyota is expanding its activities in robotics, and its new robot can shoot balls into a basket!
CUE7 debut and its capabilities
Yes, the latest version of CUE, Toyota’s basketball robot, is capable of just that. The CUE7 model debuted at a home game of Alvark Tokyo at the Toyota Arena in Tokyo as a new product of the CUE project. The project, launched in 2017, is run by volunteers from the Toyota Engineering Society as an experiment in developing artificial intelligence from scratch.
By 2019, the CUE robot received a Guinness World Record for the most consecutive free throws made by a humanoid robot (with assistance). How many did it make then? Not ten. Not twenty. Not even a hundred. 2,020 — yes, two thousand and twenty.
Previous records and evolution of CUE
In 2024, CUE received another Guinness World Record, this time for distance. The CUE6 model set the record for the longest shot made by a humanoid robot, with a distance of 24.55 meters (80.5 feet).
CUE7 specifications
CUE7 is considered a full model change. The robot can now shoot balls into the basket, move freely around the court, and even dribble the ball, performing human-like movements. It looks quite stylish, dressed in a black suit with the Toyota logo and balancing on two wheels. The robot stands an impressive 7 feet 2 inches (2.18 meters) tall, weighs 163 pounds (74 kg), and its estimated cost is around $150,000 if you are interested in building your own team.
Technology and humanity
Equipped with numerous cameras and sensors from head to wheels, the robot can accurately analyze its surroundings and determine how to manipulate the ball with the necessary force and trajectory. Of course, it is not perfect, and that may be what makes it a little more human. Or at least that is what we tell ourselves.
Toyota’s move demonstrates that the company is not just improving cars but is actively investing in fundamental research in artificial intelligence and robotics. The CUE project, which started as a hobby initiative by engineers, has turned into a serious platform for testing physical AI. While a basketball robot may seem like entertainment, the skills it develops—spatial orientation, precise object manipulation, and adaptation to changing conditions—have enormous potential for application in future industrial and service robots. Perhaps in a few years, the technologies honed on the basketball court will help robots in warehouses or even in home households.