BMW has shown a robot mechanic that deftly loads metal parts in a real production facility

A new video from BMW's plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA, shows the Figure 02 autonomous robot walking up to a shelf, picking up a metal part and precisely placing it on supports for further welding.

Here's What We Know

Figure 02 is a humanoid robot developed by the American company Figure to work at industrial facilities. According to its founder Brett Adcock, what we see in the video is not a demonstration, but a real autonomous robot in action.

Adcock went on to highlight four key points: full autonomy (no remote control), integration into real production, scale of data collection (robots learn faster through shared experiences), and scalable production thanks to the new BotQ factory. This is where thousands and then millions of humanoid robots are going to be produced.

What can Figure 02 do?

This robot is a vastly improved version of the Figure 01, which was launched just 10 months ago. The cables are now hidden inside the body, the battery is 50% larger and built into the torso for better balance and longer life. The extremities - shoulders, elbows, hips and knees - have also been improved for better performance.

Figure 02 has six RGB cameras and a vision model to help it recognise objects, avoid obstacles and coordinate hand-to-eye tasks. Its 16-degree-of-freedom arms can lift up to 55 pounds (25kg) and mimic the dexterity of a human grip. Each finger contains its own set of actuators and sensors for precise manipulation of objects.

Incidentally, Figure signed an agreement with BMW for commercial deployment back in January 2024. This partnership was one of the first cases of commercial use of humanoid robots in the US manufacturing environment. The company's investors include Microsoft, Nvidia, Intel Capital and billionaire Jeff Bezos. In total, Figure has already raised more than $700 million.

Source: Interestingengineering