Humanoid robots are being used by Mercedes-Benz to replace low-skill manual labor in industries.
In order to better understand how robots may assist human workers and address the shortage of manufacturing workforce, Mercedes-Benz and Apptronik have partnered to test humanoid forms at their facilities.
Apptronik's humanoid robots will be utilized in the pilot program to automate "low skill, physically challenging, manual labor," according to a joint news statement. Apollo, a bipedal robot that resembles a kinder version of Tesla's Optimus, is five feet eight inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, and has a lifting capacity of up to 55 pounds. It was made to function in industrial settings with people.
At their Hungary-based factory, Mercedes and Apptronik are testing robots for early part delivery and inspection. The automakers are using this facility as a center due to manpower shortages caused by workers migrating to western Europe.
“This is a new frontier and we want to understand the potential both for robotics and automotive manufacturing to fill labor gaps in areas such as low-skill, repetitive and physically demanding work and to free up our highly skilled team members on the line to build the world’s most desirable cars.” Jörg Burzer, who oversees production at Mercedes, said in a statement.
The 01 robot is presently in use at Mercedes' US factories. BMW and Figure are collaborating to test humanoid robots in their US operations. Automating challenging, dangerous, or tiresome production tasks is the goal.