Carmaker BMW to trial humanoid robots at German factory / Photo: Michaela STACHE - AFP
-
US primaries test Democrat comeback hopes in Trump stronghold
-
Ukraine says Russian strike kills 10 in northeast region
-
Scientists discover how narwhals grow nature's only straight tusk
-
Meta in court over child social media addiction
-
DR Congo Ebola outbreak 'far from being under control': WHO chief
-
Vieira appointed Senegal head coach after World Cup disappointment
-
Firefighters in 'decisive' push to encircle Belgian wildfire
-
F1's Albon re-signs with Williams for 2027
-
Tribal Partners with ServiceNow to Empower Enterprise Teams to Build and Deploy Apps & Agents
-
Borderless.xyz Deepens Africa Coverage as CrissCross Goes Live on Its Network
-
Fusion Markets Extends Negative Balance Protection to Clients Globally
-
Pakistan court orders ex-PM Khan moved from jail to hospital
-
India close on victory in first Test against Sri Lanka
-
'Lonely place': Black UK academics slam racism after Arday's death
-
Three lightly injured as new quake hits Spain's Granada
-
UK PM says not embarrassed by hoax messages with fake Trump aide
-
Syria, US say Israel struck military air base in Idlib province
-
West Bank siege exposes Israel army inaction on settler violence
-
France probes Russian disinfo campaign against centrist candidates
-
Four-time champion Roglic to ride Vuelta after training crash
-
Stocks mostly drop as Mideast hopes dim, interest rates rise
-
Ukrainian convicted in Germany over Russian sabotage plot
-
Bayern's Musiala returns to training after on-field collapse
-
Beleaguered FIFA chief Infantino rids himself of critic Lamour
-
China's Baidu, betting on AI, posts fifth straight quarterly revenue drop
-
Kane confirms Bayern extension talks set to start
-
German farmers warn of drought toll on grain harvest
-
Asian allies stress 'critical' US cooperation as Trump slashes Korea drills
-
Pant fastest to 100 sixes as India set Sri Lanka 372 to win first Test
-
Pakistan Supreme Court orders ex-PM Khan moved from jail to hospital
-
Russia rebukes Japan ambassador over disputed islands row
-
Firefighters push to 'encircle' Belgian wildfire
-
Crude extends gains, most stocks drop as Mideast hopes dim
-
ISS to host first spacewalk by Frenchwoman
-
Rift deepens as Asia football chief hits back at Qatar in Infantino saga
-
Philippine student killed in livestreamed school shooting
-
India extend lead to 294 in first Sri Lanka Test
-
More Trump-Kim 'love'? What we know about North Korea
-
Asian allies stress 'critical cooperation' as Trump slashes Korea drills
-
Major Meta trial begins as lawyers spar over witnesses, damages
-
Williams sisters fall at Cincinnati while Zverev advances
-
Trump threatens to bomb Oman if it gets in way of Iran deal
-
Transylvania's fortified churches face fragile future
-
Australian cricketer Warner ordered to use breathalyser vehicle lock
-
China mourns former premier Zhu Rongji with flags lowered, funeral
-
A Viking longship in 'The Odyssey'? It's a case of history meets Hollywood
-
Philippine student killed in rare school shooting
-
Racist abuse spurred Suzuki as Japan goalkeeper set for Premier League
-
Arsenal primed for Premier League title defence as rivals face questions
-
Japan lights torch as countdown begins to Asian Games
Carmaker BMW to trial humanoid robots at German factory
German carmaker BMW said Friday it plans to deploy two AI-powered humanoid robots in a factory in a pilot programme for the first time this year.
Dubbed AEON and developed by the Swedish company Hexagon, the black-and-white robots stand 1.65 metres (5.4 feet) tall, weigh 60 kilogrammes (132 pounds) and move on two wheels.
They can autonomously manipulate and move components within a factory where the space has been previously fully scanned and digitised.
A months-long pilot phase will start this summer in a plant in Leipzig, with employees working alongside the vaguely human-like robots.
The robot "has a full awareness of its environment" thanks to 22 sensors and various types of cameras, said Arnaud Robert, president of Hexagon Robotics.
Robert declined to disclose the price of the robots, but said it was in the hundreds of thousands of euros.
The AI-powered robot is "intelligent enough to generate its own decisions" and operate "in a manufacturing environment", said Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW's incoming chairman and the current head of production.
During a demonstration at a BMW workshop in Munich, the robot could be seen navigating toward a car and scanning the front door of the vehicle using a device.
Another demonstration showed the robot retrieving a part from a person before handing it back a few metres away.
The robot's battery life is about three hours, but the Swedish developer said the robots can replace their own battery in about 30 seconds using a charging station.
Germany's once-mighty car industry, faced with fierce Chinese competition, has been struggling to maintain competitive advantages and match Chinese innovations.
During a visit to China on Thursday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was shown an impressive coordinated performance of humanoid robots designed by the Chinese company Unitree, aimed at showcasing Beijing's rapid technological progress.
In Europe, factory automation using robotics and AI has raised concerns about potential job losses.
The BMW Group's head of digitisation, Michael Stroebel, said on Friday that it is "not planned currently to reduce the workforce" by replacing workers with new robots.
P.Tamimi--SF-PST
