Mercedes-Benz is currently conducting trials with humanoid robots from U.S.-based company Apptronik for tasks like moving components to the production line and conducting quality checks. This initiative places Mercedes-Benz among the automakers exploring the use of robots in manufacturing.
The German company has invested a significant amount in Texas-based Apptronik, founded in 2016, to compete in scaling up the production of AI-powered human-like robots against companies like Tesla and Nvidia-backed Figure AI.
A few of Apptronik's "Apollo" robots have been trained for specific tasks within Mercedes-Benz's production processes using 'teleoperation,' where the robot is remotely controlled by humans to learn and eventually autonomously repeat tasks.
Mercedes-Benz is currently testing these robots at its Digital Factory Campus in Berlin and in Kecskemet, Hungary. Production chief Joerg Burzer mentioned plans to expand their usage to other sites, emphasizing interest in applying the robots initially to repetitive and hazardous tasks to address labor shortages.
Burzer highlighted the importance of cost, noting that once costs fall into the two-digit thousand-dollar range, the technology will become more appealing. However, he did not provide a specific timeline or current pricing for the robots.
Several car manufacturers, such as Honda and Hyundai, have experimented with humanoid robots for repetitive or hazardous tasks but have not implemented them on a large scale in manufacturing operations.
Tesla's CEO, Elon Musk, mentioned the possibility of the Tesla robot, named Optimus, performing factory tasks by the end of the year, but no recent updates have been provided on this development.