Autonomous humanoid robot developer Figureannounceda commercial agreement with BMW Manufacturing to integrate general-purpose robots into the automaker’s manufacturing facilities.
The agreement’s milestone-based strategy will begin by identifying automotive production use cases for Figure’s robots. The next phase will deploy the robots at BMW’s plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
According to Figure, its electric humanoid robots manage the automation of unsafe, tedious, or complex tasks in the manufacturing process, enabling workers to concentrate on manual skills and processes. The 5-foot-6-inch robot weighs approximately 132 pounds and features a payload capacity of 44 pounds. It also has an expected runtime of five hours and can move at 1.2 meters per second, or about 2.7 miles per hour.
Figure CEO and founder Brett Adcock explained that the company’s humanoid robots expand on the capabilities of single-purpose robotics. Adcock added that Figure expects its robots to help companies minimize costs, create a safer environment, and boost productivity.
BMW Manufacturing President and CEO Robert Engelhorn emphasized that Figure’s general-purpose robots could help the company match consumer demand and prepare for transformations in the automotive industry.
The companies also plan to evaluate additional advanced technologies, including robot control, robot integration, manufacturing virtualization, and artificial intelligence.
Image Credit: Figure
