BMW is expanding the use of humanoid robots at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Following a successful pilot project with the Figure 02 model, the company began working on a new robot, Figure 03, which looks even more humanoid than Tesla’s Optimus designs, Carscoops reports.
New robots created by the American company Figure are involved in logistics operations. Their task is to sort components arriving at the plant in large containers and place them on transport carts. These carts are then sent to automated tractors or smart transport robots, which deliver the parts to the production line, where they are used by human assemblers.
The previous generation of Figure 02 robots spent 11 months in the body shop assisting with the welding process. In ten months, they helped assemble more than 30 thousand X3 crossovers.
Humanoid robot
BMW 
Humanoid robot
BMW
BMW emphasizes that the introduction of robots is not aimed at replacing people, but at helping them. According to Ulrich Wieland, vice president of production control and logistics at BMW Manufacturing, robots perform “monotonous, ergonomically complex or safety-related operations.”
The company sees them as “a complement to existing automation” that can protect employees and efficiently use their labor in more complex areas.
Humanoid robot
BMW 
Humanoid robot
BMW
