Mercedes-Benz explores the use of humanoid robots manufactured by the American company Appaptronik for production tasks, such as the transport of components and quality checks.
Humanoid robot. Photo: Figure Ai
This initiative marks a new step of the German manufacturer in the direction of automating and digitizing the manufacturing processes, according to a Reuters report.
To support this innovation, Mercedes-Benz has invested tens of millions of euros in Apptronik, a Texas company founded in 2016. Apptronik competes with giants such as Tesla and Figure Ai, supported by NVIDIA, in the development and production of humanoid robots controlled by artificial intelligence.
Apollo models produced by Apptronik are tested in Mercedes-Benz factories through a system of “Teleoperation”. It allows the control of robots remotely by people, helping them to learn and reproduce specific tasks.
The first tests take place in the Digital Factory Campus in Marienfelde, Berlin, and in the factory in Kecskemét, Hungary, and Mercedes-Benz intends to expand the project in other locations.
“I would like to find applications in areas where we face labor deficit-but, of course, first for repetitive tasks and then for dangerous ones,” said Joerg Burzer, the head of the company’s production department.
According to him, the price of robots will be an essential factor in their large -scale adoption. “When the costs will reach several tens of thousands of dollars per unit – which is absolutely possible – things will become very interesting,” Burzer explained.
Mercedes-Benz is not the only car manufacturer testing humanoid robots. Companies such as Honda, Hyundai and BMW have experienced similar technologies for repetitive or dangerous tasks, but none implemented this large -scale technology.
Figure AI projects humanoid robots capable of performing physical tasks, understanding spoken commands and even naturally interacting with people.
Figure you have managed to make their robots much smarter. Their robots can now learn and make decisions on their own easier and without relying so much on predefined orders. With this new progress, they can process information, learn and improve their answers alone.
