BMW exploring the use of humanoid robots in production plant
Lots of sci-fi movies have depicted the use of humanoid robots as part of society to help humans with their daily lives – doing errands for them, helping with the groceries and even working in the production line inside factories.
BMW is one step closer to making that fiction into reality.
The BMW Group is exploring the use of humanoid robots in production for the first time. During a trial run lasting several weeks at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, the latest humanoid robot Figure 02 from California-based company, Figure, successfully inserted sheet metal parts into specific fixtures, which were then assembled as part of the chassis. The robot must be particularly dexterous to complete this production step.
At the same time, using a robot can save employees from having to perform ergonomically awkward and tiring tasks.
“The developments in the field of robotics are very promising. With an early test operation, we are now determining possible applications for humanoid robots in production. We want to accompany this technology from development to industrialization,” says Milan Nedeljković, Member of the Board of Management for Production at BMW AG.
With the BMW iFACTORY, the vision for the production of the future, the BMW Group is always on the lookout for new technologies. Efficiency, digitalization, and sustainability are central to this vision realization.
During the trial run, the BMW Group gained valuable knowledge of what requirements must be met in order to be able to integrate so-called multi-purpose robots into an existing production system. This includes how humanoid robots communicate with the system under real conditions.
Though this is still an experiment, there is a big possibility that these humanoid robots can be a part of various BMW production lines in the future, including in the production of motorcycles.
