In the medium term, Bock believes that humanoid robots will be able to automate more than half of manual tasks in production environments. This mainly concerns physically strenuous, repetitive tasks that are currently carried out by human workers. By using robots, companies can close personnel gaps and relieve qualified workers of routine tasks.
Logistics in transition: robots take on heavy loads
In the automotive industry in particular, there are numerous manual tasks in logistics and pre-picking where humanoid robots can provide support. Mercedes is already testing the “Apollo” robot from Apptronik, which transports assembly kits. BMW is cooperating with Figure Robotics at its Spartanburg plant to integrate humanoid robots into the production process. Initial results show that humanoid robots can perform demanding tasks in a real working environment.
During a test run lasting several weeks, the humanoid robot Figure 02 successfully inserted sheet metal parts into special fixtures required for body assembly in the body shop at the Spartanburg plant. This step requires particularly tactile skills, which the robot was able to perform reliably. The BMW Group is currently working with Figure to test and evaluate the safe integration of humanoid robots into automotive production in order to make ergonomically unfavorable and tiring tasks easier for employees.
Luxury to necessity: falling prices for robots
Humanoid robots are currently still more expensive than conventional industrial robots. Tobias Bock estimates that the acquisition costs at market launch will be between 80,000 and 120,000 euros. Nevertheless, he expects a return on investment (RoI) of less than 1.36 years. This means that companies can benefit from their investments comparatively quickly.
Due to technological advances and economies of scale in mass production, the price of humanoid robots is expected to fall to around 48,000 euros by 2030. This development, combined with continuous improvements in technology, makes humanoid robots increasingly attractive for companies looking to make their processes more efficient.
Robots and the working world of the future
Humanoid robots are about to find their way into industrial environments. Advances in artificial intelligence, significant investment from the US and China and the imminence of mass production will lead to humanoid robots being increasingly used in production environments over the next few years.
Companies that recognize the potential of this technology early on can benefit from increased efficiency and productivity while relieving human workers of physically demanding, repetitive tasks.
