BMW Collaborates With Figure AI To Explore Humanoid Use Cases In Assembly Lines

The German automobile manufacturer BMW has decided to deploy human-like robots at a factory. The humanoids are designed to work in assembly lines with more flexibility than regular arms built around. The robots are developed by Figure AI and will be put to test at the automaker’s South Carolina factory.

Figure 01 Humanoid Details

The Figure 01 robots are “general purpose” humanoids that can perform various physical tasks. They are 5’6″ tall and weigh around 60 kilograms. Further, they have five-fingered hands that can easily pick things. This makes the robots helpful in putting together several parts that require manual labor.

Other than that, the robots have two sturdy legs, enabling them to move from one spot to another. As part of their deal, BMW and Figure 01 will identify initial use cases. A related press release states that the robots will focus on difficult, unsafe, or tedious tasks, which doesn’t clarify what they are going to do.

Once The Use Cases Are Final, BMW Will Deploy The Robots In Its Factory

Once both companies figure out what the robots can do, they will be deployed at the aforementioned factory. In general, the robots will replace the workers that are important for the functioning of the assembly line. Both companies will also explore artificial intelligence, virtual manufacturing environments, and robotic automation.

“The use of general-purpose robot solutions has the potential to make productivity more efficient, to support the growing demands of our consumers, and to enable our team to focus on the transformation ahead of us,” says the president and chief executive officer of BMW Manufacturing, Dr. Robert Engelhorn.

Check Out Figure 01 Creating A Cup Of Coffee In This Video

Earlier this year, Figure uploaded a video on its official YouTube channel showing how the Figure 01 humanoid prepares a cup of coffee. The training time for the task, as mentioned in the video, was 10 hours. In the video, we can see the robot opening a coffee, inserting what looks like a flavor shot, and pressing a button to pour the coffee into a mug, using its hand with four fingers and a thumb.

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