Mercedes-Benz is attempting to use humanoid robots in its manufacturing facilities for low-skilled and repetitive tasks. To achieve this, Mercedes-Benz has entered into a commercial partnership with startup Apptronik, which is dedicated to developing the latest generation of humanoid robots. According to the agreement, Mercedes-Benz will be the first to try out the Apollo robot developed by Apptronik in its manufacturing facilities. This collaboration marks the first public announcement of the commercial deployment of the Apollo robot by Apptronik, demonstrating Mercedes-Benz's determination to explore advanced robots in automating low-skilled and repetitive tasks.
Under the agreement, Mercedes-Benz will closely collaborate with Apptronik to determine the specific applications of the Apollo robot in the manufacturing process, such as transporting components to the production line for human workers to assemble and inspecting components. In addition, the humanoid robots will also be responsible for transporting pallets containing components in the later stages of the manufacturing process.
The Apollo robot stands approximately 1.73 meters tall and weighs about 72.5 kilograms, capable of lifting objects weighing up to 24.9 kilograms. Its unique force control architecture ensures safe operation around humans, similar to collaborative robots. This enables Apollo to work alongside human workers while undertaking physically demanding tasks.
Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apollo, said, "The agreement with Mercedes-Benz to develop Apollo is a dream scenario for us. Mercedes-Benz plans to use robots and Apollo to automate some low-skilled and physically demanding manual labor, which is undoubtedly a typical case. I believe that other organizations will follow suit in the coming months and years."
Jörg Burzer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz AG, responsible for Production and Supply Chain Management, said, "We are exploring new applications of robotics technology to support our skilled workforce in the manufacturing field. This is a completely new area, and through this trial, we hope to understand the potential of robotics technology and automotive manufacturing in filling the labor gap in low-skilled, repetitive, and physically demanding work areas, while allowing our highly skilled team members on the production line to have more time to manufacture the world's most popular cars."
The collaboration with Apptronik's pilot project is an important part of Mercedes-Benz's efforts to drive the future development of automotive production using robotics and artificial intelligence technology. Facing the challenges of labor shortages and automation demands in the automotive industry, humanoid robots like Apollo provide a viable solution. They can work alongside human workers without the need for extensive modifications to existing facilities.
