BMW Humanoid Robot 'Eon' Unveils, No Pay, No Break

*This content was translated by AI.

BMW will start a new phase of production automation by introducing humanoid robots in earnest at its plant in Leipzig, Germany. The decision was made based on the results of a successful pilot operation of the humanoid robot "Figure 02" at the Spartanburg plant in South Carolina. BMW plans to work with robot company Hexagon to put the "AON" robot into the high-voltage battery assembly and component manufacturing line at its Leipzig plant.

BMW previously used Figure AI's robot at its Spartanburg plant to secure more than 1,250 hours of operational data for about 10 months. The robot performed a 10-hour shift and was responsible for precise removal and positioning of sheet metal parts. The process is classified as a section with very high labor strength ergonomically while requiring speed and accuracy at the same time. During the testing period, the robot processed approximately 90,000 components, contributing to the production process of over 30,000 X3 crossovers. BMW said it confirmed that humanoid robots can create measurable added value in the actual manufacturing environment.

The Eon robot, which will be introduced in the Leipzig plant, will be applied to multi-purpose applications based on 'physical AI' technology. In the initial stage, it focuses on specific processes such as battery pack assembly, but plans to gradually expand the scope of its application through future tests. BMW and Hexagon have already completed laboratory tests and theoretical evaluations of the Eon robot since December last year, and will enter the pilot operation stage in earnest from this summer.

BMW is not the only example of introducing humanoid robots in the automobile industry. Hyundai Motor is strengthening the robot capabilities of its manufacturing facilities in the U.S. through Boston Dynamics, while Mercedes-Benz is testing the logistics and quality inspection process by putting Aptronik's "Apollo" robot into its Berlin plant. Tesla is also continuing its development to deploy the "Optimus" robot as a key element of actual factory operation beyond the simple experimental stage.

BMW emphasized that the main purpose of introducing robots is not to replace manpower, but to improve the work environment of employees. The strategy is to protect human workers and secure overall production competitiveness by placing robots first in monotonous and repetitive tasks, ergonomically demanding tasks, or safety-hazardous processes. Robots can be operated 24 hours a day without breaks and are advantageous in terms of maintaining precision, so the efficiency of the manufacturing process is expected to be greatly improved.

The introduction of robots at the Leipzig plant symbolizes the transition of the automobile industry from traditional machine automation to an artificial intelligence-based intelligent robot collaboration system. BMW is analyzing pilot operation data over the next few months to verify the versatility of the robot and open the possibility of expanding it to production networks around the world. In particular, as the high-voltage battery assembly process is a key area in the transition to electrification, the robot's ability to perform precise tasks is expected to contribute to stabilizing the quality of electric vehicles in the future.

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*This content was translated by AI.