Humanoid robots have made significant advancements recently, catching the attention of some major companies. One of these companies is Mercedes-Benz, which has teamed up with Texas-based robotics expert Apptronik. Together, they aim to explore how advanced robots can be used in Mercedes’ operations. This partnership will involve a trial where Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robot will assist human workers on the factory floor.
During the trial, the Apollo robot will be responsible for delivering vehicle parts to the production line for workers to assemble. It will also transport totes of kitted parts later in the manufacturing process. The goal is to automate some physically demanding and repetitive tasks, making the work easier for human employees.
Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apollo, expressed his excitement about the collaboration. He believes this partnership with Mercedes-Benz is an ideal scenario for demonstrating the potential of their technology. Mercedes plans to use Apollo to tackle low-skill, physically challenging manual labor, a model that other organizations are expected to adopt in the future.
The fear with advanced robotics, especially humanoid robots, is that they might replace many human workers. However, Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz emphasize robot assistance rather than replacement. Mercedes executive Jörg Burzer highlighted that the purpose is to address labor shortages in repetitive and physically demanding tasks, allowing highly skilled workers to focus on more complex duties.
Apollo is the result of Apptronik’s extensive work on over 10 other robots, including NASA’s Valkyrie humanoid robot. Standing at 5 feet 8 inches and weighing 160 pounds, the robot can carry loads up to 55 pounds and operate for four hours on a single charge. Its batteries can be quickly swapped out to ensure continuous operation.
Apptronik is not alone in the race to develop humanoid robots. Other companies are also entering the auto industry with similar innovations. For instance, in January, California-based Figure entered into a similar agreement with BMW to deploy its humanoid robot at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Tesla is working on the Optimus bipedal robot, Xiaomi is developing the CyberOne, and Boston Dynamics continues to create highly versatile robots for workplace use.