Retired Army Ranger and Robot Sidekick Conduct Special Ops for Toyota

DAYTONA, Fla., June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Decorated U.S. war veteran Romulo (Romy) Camargo starts his day like most of us.  He wakes up, gets a drink of water, has some breakfast, brushes his teeth, and gets dressed. But for Camargo, whose injuries in Afghanistan left him paralyzed from the neck down, these morning routines require some assistance. And Toyota is learning how to help.

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Thanks to Camargo, Toyota recently completed the first North American in-home trial of the Human Support Robot (HSR). The HSR is one of the "partner robots" Toyota is developing to assist people with everyday activities. Toyota is actively researching ways to apply advanced technologies to help people with limited mobility, including seniors or those who are disabled.

During the trial, the robot assisted Camargo with everyday tasks in his home, including opening doors and delivering bottles of water or snacks from the pantry. The ultimate goal was to help him regain some of his independence and improve his quality of life. You can view a video of Toyota's work with Camargo at http://bit.ly/2tTZE1m. 

"At Toyota, we have a commitment to enriching lives by advancing mobility for all – whether it's around town or across your living room," said Doug Moore, senior manager, Technology for Human Support, Toyota Motor North America. "This includes developing technology solutions to assist people with limited mobility.  We see our research with Romy and the HSR as a natural extension of our work as a mobility company that helps people navigate their world."

Recalling his first reaction to the HSR, Camargo said: "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 – like this research is going to change the world."

Toyota will showcase the HSR today at the NASCAR Coke 400 pre-race in Daytona, Florida, which will honor U.S. veterans. Details about Toyota's Human Support Robot can be found at http://www.toyota-global.com/innovation/partner_robot/family_2.html. 

Other Toyota research aimed at applying robotics to assist people with limited mobility include:

• Welwalk WW-1000: A wearable robotic leg brace designed to help partially paralyzed people walk;
• Project BLAID: A future mobility technology that could help people who are blind or have visual impairments gain better environmental awareness;
• Transfer Assist Robot: A robot that helps transfer adult patients easily from bed to chair and chair to toilet, without overburdening the caregiver; and
• Auto Access Seat:  A device designed to help people who have difficulty entering and exiting special vehicles, such as seniors or others with limited mobility, do so more easily.

Toyota's work with Camargo reflects its longstanding commitment to support our nation's veterans.  The company first began working with Camargo in 2015 when it provided last-mile funding to help him and his wife Gaby open Stay in Step, a non-profit recovery center that provides treatment, rehabilitation and support services to veterans and civilians with spinal-cord injuries. Toyota also works with Hiring Our Heroes to help veterans, transition service members and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities. To date, Toyota's partnership with Hiring Our Heroes has led to more than 28,000 direct hires.

About Toyota 

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 33 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 46,000 people (more than 36,000 in the U.S.).  Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold almost 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 – and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.  

Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com. 

Media Contact:
Jana Hartline
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[email protected]

SOURCE Toyota