Goldman Sachs predicts $38B market for industrial humanoid robots by 2035Apollo the humanoid robot joins Mercedes-Benz workforce to assist skilled workers. Credit: newatlas.com

Innovation in the manufacturing industry is constantly evolving, and now humanoid robots are making their way into the workforce. Just like Figure 01 at BMW and Digit in Amazon's research and development center, Apptronik's Apollo bot is assisting skilled human workers in building cars for Mercedes-Benz.

The global market for humanoid industrial robots is projected to reach a staggering US$38 billion by 2035, according to Goldman Sachs. Analysts have noted that these robots are particularly useful for tasks that are considered "dangerous, dirty and dull." In fact, some customers may even be willing to pay a premium for robots that can take on dangerous tasks that humans are not keen on, such as nuclear reactor maintenance.

However, the risks associated with such tasks are not a concern for Apollo as it embarks on its latest pilot project with Mercedes. The company announced on Friday that it is looking to alleviate its workers from monotonous and physically demanding tasks by utilizing the Apollo robot.

Jörg Burzer, from the Mercedes-Benz Group, stated, "We are exploring the possibilities of using robotics to support our skilled workers in manufacturing. This is a new frontier and we want to understand the potential for both robotics and automotive production to fill gaps in labor, particularly in low-skilled, repetitive, and physically demanding work. This will also free up our highly skilled team members to focus on building the world's most desirable cars."

Apollo is the newest addition to Apptronik's lineup of almost a dozen robot systems, created by a spin-out tech company from the University of Texas at Austin. This modular humanoid robot was introduced in August of last year and has a sleek design with LED eyes and a sensor array unibrow. The head has been filled in with a grille, and the chest now displays the iconic three-pointed star instead of an OLED interface. Standing at a height of 5.67 ft (172.72 cm) and weighing 160 lb (73 kg), Apollo has powerful arms and five-digit hands that can lift loads of up to 55 lb (25 kg). Its swappable battery allows for about 4 hours of continuous operation, and the robot is equipped with a unique force control architecture to ensure safe interaction with human workers.

According to the Financial Times, the Apollo pilot project is currently underway at a Mercedes manufacturing facility in Hungary, where there is a shortage of workers in the auto industry. The company plans to test out different use cases for the robot, including delivering components and kit totes to workers on the factory floor while simultaneously inspecting the parts.

Apptronik CEO and co-founder, Jeff Cardenas, believes that Mercedes' use of robotics and Apollo for automating low-skilled and physically demanding labor will set an example for other organizations to follow. The duration of the pilot and the number of Apollo robots being used by Mercedes have not been disclosed.

Source: newatlas.com
David Lamy
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