Toyota wants to put a robot friend in every home

This picture taken on September 27, 2016 shows Toyota Motors new concept planning department project general manager Fuminori Kataoka (L) and president of the mid-size vehicle company and the senior managing officer of Toyota Motors Moritaka Yoshida (R) displaying the company's new communication robot 'Kirobo Mini' during a press preview in Tokyo. Equipped with artificial intelligence and a built-in camera, the robot is capable of recognising the face of the person speaking to him and responding in unscripted conversation or even starting a chat. / AFP PHOTO / TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA

Toyota Motor Corp has sold enough cars to put one outside every Japanese home. Now it wants to put robots inside. 

Well-known for its automated assembly lines, Toyota sees a not-so-far-off future in which robots transcend the factory and become commonplace in homes, helping with chores – and even offering companionship – in an aging society where a quarter of the population is over 65 and millions of seniors live alone.