Toyota Research Institute
Toyota's research arm building Large Behavior Models that drive Boston Dynamics' Atlas
Division of Toyota Motor Corporation · No humanoid status · Robot foundation model · Toyota City, Aichi, Japan · Founded 2015 · tri.global
Part of Toyota Motor Corporation.
Also active in United States.
Profile
Toyota Research Institute (based in Los Altos, California, under Toyota of Japan) leads Toyota's robot-learning work. With Boston Dynamics it built a 450M-parameter Large Behavior Model that controls Atlas's whole body from language prompts.
Notes Map pin uses Toyota HQ (Toyota City); TRI itself is headquartered in Los Altos, CA.
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People
- Gill PrattChief Executive Officer
As of . X handles are shown only when we could confirm they belong to the person.
Flagship products
- Large Behavior Models (LBMs) AI model
Language-conditioned diffusion-transformer policies; whole-body Atlas control with Boston Dynamics
Market & financials
Trademarks
11 names filed in the US since 2025 · last checked .
- CHIBIBO Allowed, extension grantedIndustrial robots; automatic programmable cargo handling robots; industrial mobile robots; industrial autonomous robots.
Our guess: may be a mobile cargo robot
- ELEY Examiner objectionRental of industrial robots and material handling machines and apparatus for moving and handling goods for industrial.
- ME AllowedIndustrial robots.
Show 8 more names
- WALK ME Allowed, extension grantedRobotic transport vehicles.
- BOOST ME Allowed, extension grantedRobotic transport vehicles.
- CHALLENGE ME Allowed, extension grantedRobotic transport vehicles.
- CONNECT ME Allowed, extension grantedIndustrial robots; power-operated lifting equipment, namely, robotic mechanisms for lifting; robotic transport vehicles.
- THRILL ME Allowed, extension grantedRobotic transport vehicles.
- AMAZE ME Allowed, extension grantedRobotic transport vehicles.
- CARRY ME SuspendedIndustrial robots; power-operated lifting equipment, namely, robotic mechanisms for lifting; robotic transport vehicles.
- JUU Allowed, extension grantedRobotic transport vehicles; robotic wheelchairs and structural parts therefor.
Source: USPTO Trademark Search, matched on the company’s legal names. Rechecked on the 1st and 15th of each month. A filing shows intent to use a name in the US, not a launched product.
Competitors
Companies with overlapping products. Direct = same customers and same job; Adjacent = overlapping technology or market, different focus.
Skild AI
Adjacent competitorBoth train large behavior models for robots: Skild AI builds Skild Brain, a foundation model meant to run on any robot body, while Toyota Research Institute builds the Large Behavior Models that drive Boston Dynamics' Atlas.
Physical Intelligence
Adjacent competitorBoth train large behavior models for robots: Physical Intelligence builds the general-purpose π robot foundation models, while Toyota Research Institute builds the Large Behavior Models that drive Boston Dynamics' Atlas.
Google DeepMind (Gemini Robotics)
Adjacent competitorBoth develop AI models for robots and have worked with humanoid makers: Google DeepMind develops the Gemini Robotics models, used by partners such as Apptronik, while Toyota Research Institute builds the Large Behavior Models that drive Boston Dynamics' Atlas.
Recent news
From SEC filings
Robotics-related passages from SEC filings, newest first. Filed by Toyota Motor Corporation.
Scope Executive-structure changes; the only robotics-related item is the TRI leadership entry.
Gill Pratt continues as Toyota's Chief Scientist and Executive Fellow for Research, with Toyota Research Institute.
Gill A. Pratt Chief Scientist and Executive Fellow for Research Toyota Research Institute, Inc.
Exhibit 99.1, notification of changes to board members and executive structure
Scope Annual report for the fiscal year ended March 2026; only the TRI and robotics passages are summarized.
Toyota says TRI is developing AI robots meant to work alongside people rather than replace them.
In addition, Toyota Research Institute, Inc. (“TRI”) is taking on the challenge of developing AI robots that work and grow together with humans as partners, rather than simply replacing them.
Item 4. Information on the CompanyToyota is using Woven City to speed up demonstrations of these technologies.
To accelerate demonstrations and the advancement of these technologies, we are leveraging Woven City, a mobility test course.
Item 4. Information on the Company
Source: SEC EDGAR · Quotes checked word for word against the filing · As of .
Sources
- AI-powered robot by Boston Dynamics and Toyota Research Institute takes a key step towards general-purpose humanoids (TRI) (Aug 20, 2025)
- Large behavior models and Atlas find new footing (Boston Dynamics) (Oct 8, 2026)
- Toyota Research Institute about page (Oct 8, 2026)
- Toyota Form 6-K: changes to board members and executive structure (Jun 17, 2026)
Confidence: medium.