BMW Announces: Factory Introduces Humanoid Robots

On Friday (February 27), BMW Group announced on its official website that the company has introduced physical artificial intelligence to Europe for the first time, launching a pilot project with humanoid robots at its Leipzig plant.

The press release states that this project aims to integrate humanoid robot technology into the mass production processes of existing automobiles and explore its broader applications in battery and component manufacturing.

Last year, BMW Group implemented a humanoid robot pilot project at its Spartanburg plant in the United States. This pilot marks the company's first introduction of humanoid robots in its European factories, reflecting its bet on the growth potential of the humanoid robot market.

The automotive industry aims to leverage its expertise in robotics engineering to both create new revenue streams and reduce labor costs while enhancing production efficiency. Earlier, Morgan Stanley estimated that the humanoid robot market could reach $5 trillion by 2050.

According to BMW, its planned robot “AEON,” provided by the Swedish company Hexagon, will be deployed on assembly lines and in electric vehicle high-voltage battery manufacturing, where employees typically need to wear cumbersome protective clothing.

The BMW pilot project in Europe is similar in scale to the earlier pilot conducted at its U.S. plant. The company stated that at the Spartanburg factory, "Figure 02" participated in the production of over 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles, working five days a week (Monday to Friday) for ten hours each day.

BMW stated, "This work demands extremely high speed and precision, while also being very physically demanding for the employees." The statement particularly noted that the goal of adopting humanoid robots is to complement existing automation technologies, alleviate the burden on human employees, and further improve working conditions.

BMW production chief Milan Nedeljković wrote in a statement: "Digitalization is enhancing the competitiveness of our production system in Europe and around the world." Nedeljković will take over as CEO in May this year.

In the future, BMW may also use humanoid robots to take over more tasks currently handled by suppliers. Johannes Hartmann, head of process management at BMW, said, "This gives us the opportunity to bring more production steps in-house."

Currently, the automotive industry is increasingly viewing humanoid robots as a key way to upgrade factories and tap into new markets. Last week, Toyota Motor Corporation announced it will introduce humanoid robots at its Canadian factory.