At the Spartanburg car factory, robot colleagues are already in use in bodywork construction. BMW is now exploring new areas of application for them.
BMW is using humanoid robots in car production for the first time. At the Spartanburg plant in the US, the humanoid robot Figure 02 successfully placed sheet metal parts in the body shop in a real production environment during a test operation lasting several weeks. Head of Production Milan Nedeljković said: “The developments in the field of robotics are promising. With an early test operation, we are now investigating the possible uses of humanoid robots in production.”
According to BMW, the production step in question requires a particularly tactile ability. The two-legged robot Figure 02 can walk and, with two human-sized hands, can skillfully place various complex parts independently with millimeter precision. It is ideally suited for physically difficult, tiring or even unsafe tasks. BMW and the Californian robot manufacturer Figure now want to prepare it for future use and develop it further.
Video of the robot working in body shop
Source: Stern
