BMW to employ humanoid robots in its factories
German car giant BMW has signed a commercial agreement to use Figure's human-form robots to perform dangerous tasks at its manufacturing plants.
California-based Figure is a specialist in developing autonomous humanoid robots that can perform difficult, unsafe, or tedious tasks throughout the manufacturing process. Under this agreement, BMW Manufacturing and Figure will identify appropriate use cases for the robots and then begin staged deployment at BMW's facility in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
"Single-purpose robotics have saturated the commercial market for decades, but the potential of general purpose robotics is completely untapped. Figure's robots will enable companies to increase productivity, reduce costs, and create a safer and more consistent environment," said Brett Adcock, Founder and CEO of Figure. "We look forward to working side-by-side with BMW Manufacturing to integrate AI and robotics into automotive production."
"The automotive industry, and with it the production of vehicles, is evolving rapidly. BMW Manufacturing is committed to integrating innovative technologies in our production systems to drive our future forward as an industry leader and innovator. 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," said Dr. Robert Engelhorn, President and CEO of BMW Manufacturing.
