Kiyosu, Japan, June 10, 2019: Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has invested¹ in QBIT Robotics Corporation (Tokyo, Japan), a provider of robotics services, to accelerate development of a practical robot hand with tactile sense using e-Rubber sensors.²

QBIT Robotics is a startup that develops systems³ centered on collaborative robots that work together with humans for use in the service industry, including food service and entertainment, and provides robotics services that can help to solve social issues such as labor shortages.

Toyoda Gosei is developing a tactile hand that can sense the shape and softness of objects, a capability that conventional robots have lacked. By combining this tactile hand with the robot systems of QBIT Robotics, the two companies will achieve robots that can perform work in a more human-like way.

Toyoda Gosei and QBIT Robotics will accelerate their collaboration with the aim of spreading the use of practical robots that can support aging societies with fewer children. As the first result of that collaboration, Toyoda Gosei’s tactile hand will be used in QBIT’s “&robot café system.”

1 The investment amount is 120 million yen, which will give Toyoda Gosei a stake of 7.6% in QBIT Robotics. 2 e-Rubber is a next-generation rubber that contracts with the application of voltage.    It can be used as a light, soft artificial muscle for robots. In addition, when its shape    changes from external pressure or other forces, the amount of internally stored electricity    changes. With this property, it can also function as a soft tactile sensor that can sense    minute changes in pressure with high accuracy. 3 Huis Ten Bosch Inc. has opened the “Henn na Cafe, Huis Ten Bosch,” where robots wait    on customers and serve drinks. QBIT Robotics developed and designed that robot system    and continues to provide related support.

Tactile Hand with an e-Rubber sensor (image) The photo is a hand developed by Professor Naoki Fukaya of Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology. (not the Tactile hand under development for QBIT's systems) &robot café system (image) This is a robot café developed by the collaboration of QBIT Robotics and coffee company UCC group.

Outline of QBIT Robotics 1. Name QBIT Robotics Corporation 2. Location 3F Hirakawacho Kaizaka Building, 1-6-8 Hirakawacho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan 3. Representative Hiroya Nakano, President and CEO 4. Founded January 2018 5. Capital 491 million yen (as of May 28, 2019; includes capital reserve) 6. Business Provider of robotics services and related services Press release from QBIT Robotics  (June 10, 2019)

About Toyoda Gosei

Established in 1949 and headquartered in Kiyosu, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, Toyoda Gosei is a leading specialty manufacturer of rubber and plastic automotive parts. Today, the Toyoda Gosei Group provides a variety of high-quality products internationally, with a network of approximately 100 plants and offices in 17 countries and regions. Through its flexible, integrated global supply system and leading-edge technologies, Toyoda Gosei aims to grow as a global company that acts flexibly and swiftly in today’s dramatically changing business environment, delivering the highest levels of satisfaction to customers worldwide through safety, comfort, well-being and the environment.