Texas-based Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz have entered into a commercial agreement for the use of the Apollo humanoid robot in automotive plants.
The Apollo robot is about the size of an average human. It is 170 centimetres tall and weighs 73 kilograms. It can perform physically demanding tasks, working in industrial spaces alongside humans.
"Adding humanoid robots to factories and plants will allow organisations such as Mercedes-Benz to deploy robotics optimised to work in spaces designed for humans, thereby avoiding full-scale upgrades to facilities built around robots rather than people. In short, this approach aims to automate some of the physically demanding, repetitive and boring tasks for which it is becoming increasingly difficult to find reliable workers," Apptronik said in a press release.
Specifically, Mercedes-Benz is exploring potential use cases for Apollo's humanoid robots in logistics to deliver parts to a production line that workers will then assemble.
Traditionally for such deals, the companies did not disclose the number of robots, the cost of the project or other commercial details. The partnership is the first commercial deployment of Apollo robots, as well as the first use of humanoid robotics in Mercedes-Benz's history.
At the same time, Mercedes-Benz assured that it has no plans to completely replace humans with robots. "We still need first-class workers who can handle the complexity of the associated tasks in car production," Chief Operating Officer Jörg Burzer told reporters.
Sources: Apptronik, Financial Times
