Toyota's 400,000 Robots and the Human Workers Training Them

So the big news is not only the death itself, but also this decision from the grand jury.

Exactly. On Tuesday, the family and their lawyers spoke at a press conference.

They said they want justice.

They were reacting to a grand jury report.

It said there was not enough evidence for criminal charges.

What do we know about the case itself?

Wells disappeared after he went out with friends for the Fourth of July holiday.

They were on barrier islands off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi.

His body was later found in the water off Horn Island.

That was two days after he vanished.

That timeline is short. It is also very unsettling.

It is. The report said the body’s position, condition, time of discovery, and location were consistent with drowning.

It also said there was no credible evidence of criminal conduct by the friends who were with him.

And the family does not accept that conclusion.

No, they do not. Nolan’s mother, Christine Wonsley, said the medical examiners and death certificates said the cause and manner were undetermined.

She asked how a jury could decide on drowning when there was trauma to his body.

That is a very direct challenge. Was there also a private autopsy?

Yes. The family hired a forensic pathologist to do one.

That autopsy found recent, unexplained blunt force injuries to the back of his head.

It also found injuries in other areas on his back.

So now there are two different pictures of what may have happened.

That is right. The grand jury reviewed evidence from 43 witnesses.

It also looked at physical evidence, police reports, interviews, videos, images, and maps.

But the family says it will keep fighting for answers.

Thanks, Jack.

Toyota says it is training humanoid robots with workers, while also saying people will still matter.

Now we go to Ella, LinguaWire's correspondent for technology.

Thanks, Daniel. Toyota is already using some of its ELEY humanoid robots on assembly lines.

Workers are helping them learn.

That sounds like a very modern factory, but also a little strange.

It is both. The robots roll around on wheels.

Workers are teaching them tasks that need precise hand movements.

To do that, they wear special tools called jigs.

Those jigs are shaped for the robots’ fingers.

So the robots are not just being installed and left alone.

No, they are being trained. That is the key point.

Toyota wants the robots to learn from human workers before they are used more widely.

What is Toyota actually planning next?

The company wants to start investing $6.42 billion every year from 2028.

It will use that money to upgrade factories with what it calls a new robotic workforce.

It aims to put 150,000 robots in its own plants.

It also aims to put another 250,000 in group facilities that make parts and materials.

Those are huge numbers. Does that mean jobs will disappear?

Toyota says not directly. Executive vice president Hiroki Nakajima said the goal is “a world where robots coexist with humans, rather than replacing them.”

That sounds reassuring, but also carefully worded.

Yes, because the wider question is still open.

Toyota has not said exactly how many robots it already uses.

It also has not said how many of the new ones will be humanoids.

And this is happening in a much bigger industry shift, right?

Exactly. Automakers have used industrial robots for decades.

Now they are racing to build robots that can do more complex work.

That tells us something important about manufacturing.

The future may be less about human versus machine.

It may be more about how they work together.

Thanks, Ella.

Here are three useful words from the Toyota story.

robots

Robots are machines that can do jobs or move by themselves. In the story, Toyota already uses some ELEY humanoid robots. Example: The robots worked with people on the factory floor.

workers

workers are people who do jobs for pay; in the story, workers are helping them learn. Example: The workers finished the night shift at six.

factory

factory means a building where things are made; in the story, Toyota wants to upgrade factories. Example: The factory makes parts for cars.

Toyota is already using some of its ELEY humanoid robots

We use the present continuous for an action happening now or around now. We make it with am, is, or are plus a verb ending in -ing.

The company is training new workers.

Workers are helping the robots learn.

Toyota is already using some of its ELEY humanoid robots

Repeat after me: is already using