Mercedes-Benz turns to robots for help.
The German automaker has struck a deal to test humanoid robots manufactured by Austin, Texas-based Apptronic in its factories. Mercedes sees the partnership as an opportunity to see how robots can be used to assist workers and reduce personnel problems in the production process.
Mercedes and Optronic are still exploring potential uses for the robots, although initially they will be used for parts delivery and inspection. It’s also unclear how many robots will be used, although the Financial Times reports (via The Verge) that they are already being tested at the automaker’s plant in Hungary. The country, which is a manufacturing hub for many automakers, has faced a labor shortage in recent years as its workers flee to Western Europe.
“This is a new frontier, and we want to understand the potential of both robotics and automotive to eliminate labor shortages in areas such as low-skilled, repetitive and physically demanding work, and our front-line workers. Want to free up highly skilled team members. “Make the most desirable cars in the world,” Mercedes production chief Jörg Borser said in a statement.” That looks.
Mercedes is not the first company to use humanoid robots in its factories (and certainly not the last). Earlier this year, BMW announced its partnership with California-based Fig to test the effectiveness of its robots. 01 robot of the latter is currently in use at the German brand’s US plants in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Like Mercedes and Optronic, BMW and Figueres are still trying to figure out how best to use the robot, but they don’t want to use it to automate “complex, unsafe or tedious” manufacturing tasks. want.
