Humanoid robots are joining Mercedes' assembly line
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Apollo, made by Apptronik, is made for repetitive and dangerous work. Photo courtesy of Apptronik.
The newest Mercedes-Benz production worker is 5-foot-8, 160 pounds, can lift 55 pounds, and plugs itself in when it needs to take a break.
Why it matters: First-generation humanoid robots are storming into real-life industrial settings — making the leap from science fiction to the factory floor.
Driving the news: Mercedes-Benz "is exploring potential use cases for Apollo humanoid robots in logistics," according to the companies' announcement.
- The robot will bring parts to the production line for workers to assemble, and inspect components.
- Later, it will deliver totes of kitted parts for use in the manufacturing process. (See a video of Apollo in action.)
What they're saying: "Long term, really the sky's the limit in terms of what these types of systems will be able to do," Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas told Axios last year.
Zoom out: The announcement is the latest "big news" move from the small cadre of companies that make walking, dexterous human-shaped robots.
- Robots from Figure are joining BMW's manufacturing plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
- Agility Robotics has deployed its robot, Digit, at an Amazon facility and a Spanx distribution center — and just released software to control an army of the bots.
- Apptronik also has a partnership with NASA "to accelerate commercialization" of Apollo.
Between the lines: There's ambient concern that robots might replace humans in jobs.
- Apollo is meant to automate "some physically demanding, repetitive and dull tasks for which it is increasingly hard to find reliable workers," Mercedes and Apptronik noted in their press release.
The bottom line: Rosie, the chatty, helpful robot from "The Jetsons," could soon be your next colleague.
