Humanoid robots at BMW

Humanoid robots at BMW

In a test operation lasting several weeks, the latest humanoid robot Figure 02 from the Californian company Figure successfully inserted sheet metal parts into special devices in the body shop of the BMW Group plant in Spartanburg, which are then assembled as part of the body. This production step requires the robot to have particularly tactile ability. At the same time, the use of a robot can relieve the employee of ergonomically unfavorable and tiring tasks. Together with Figure, the BMW Group is currently testing and evaluating how humanoid robots can be used safely in automobile production.

"The developments in the field of robotics are promising. With early test operations, we are now determining the possible uses of humanoid robots in production. We want to accompany this technology from development to industrialization," explains Milan Nedeljković, Head of Production at BMW AG. With the BMW iFactory, the target image for the production of the future, the BMW Group is continually exploring new technologies. Efficiency, digitalization and sustainability are central pillars. During testing, the BMW Group gained important insights into which requirements must be met so that so-called multipurpose robots can be integrated into an existing production system. This includes, for example, how humanoid robots communicate with the system in real use. After initial use in automobile production, the experts from the BMW Group and Figure prepare the findings for future production applications and further develop the robots.

“We are excited to introduce Figure 02, which can perform a variety of complex tasks completely autonomously,” said Brett Adcock, Founder and CEO Figure. According to the Californians, Figure 02, now presented by Figure, is the world's most advanced humanoid robot currently available on the market. With its combination of two-legged mobility and highly developed dexterity, the Figure 02 is ideally suited for use in areas with physically difficult, unsafe or repetitive processes, thereby improving the ergonomics and safety of employees. Compared to its predecessor, it has three times the processing power, improved voice communication, better cameras, microphones and sensors, a more powerful battery and fourth-generation human-sized hands with 16 active degrees of freedom per hand and human-comparable strength. The robot is capable of completely autonomously completing numerous human-like and two-handed tasks that require diverse and dynamic manipulations, complex grasping and the coordination of both hands in unison. It can place various complex parts with millimeter precision and move dynamically, leveraging the efficiency of the robot design.