Mercedes-Benz is trialling humanlike robots for “demanding and repetitive” tasks in one of its factories as the carmaker finds it increasingly hard to find reliable workers.
Standing at 5ft 8in and weighing 160 pounds, the humanoid Apollo robots from Texan group Apptronik will be used to deliver parts to car assembly lines as well as to carry out quality inspections. Each model can lift up to 55 pounds.
While use of large mechanical arms to carry out functions from lifting entire cars to installing some parts is common across the auto industry, this is one of the first uses of robots with a human appearance.
They allow carmakers to increase automation in factories without making expensive changes to their layout, because the robots can walk through spaces designed for people.
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Source: https://www.ft.com/content/0dd1227c-0971-4d90-960e-5aef7f18ee48
