BMW at its Spartanburg factory in the USA Figure 03 humanoid robots took on a new logistics task. Robots signed by Figure will take the parts that will go to the production line from the containers and prepare them in the correct order. BMW, which started humanoid robot trials in the same facility about two years ago, is now moving from the Figure 02 pilot to a different factory task with Figure 03. This time, human-like design leaves the show floor and enters the daily production flow.
Spartanburg is among BMW’s most important production centers in the USA and plays a major role for the X series models. Because BMW Spartanburg plantIt gains special importance in terms of seeing how humanoid robots will work in the factory. Unlike traditional stationary robot arms, Figure 03 will recognize and pick up parts, then place them on sorting carts. Thus, human workers on the production line will receive the necessary parts in the correct order during the assembly phase.
The new robots will work with components that arrive at the facility mixed in large containers. Since these parts do not arrive in order at the first stage, direct transfer to the production line does not work efficiently. At this point, Figure 03 will take each piece one by one and put it on sorting trolleys called sequencing trolleys. These cars will then be taken to the designated collection point.
BMW will use an automatic tow train or Smart Transport Robot for the next transport step. These systems will deliver the parts from the sorting cars to the production line, where workers will assemble new BMW models with these parts. This flow shows that humanoid robots can work not only at a single station but at different points of production logistics. Figure 03 here focuses on part preparation and feeding into production rather than the welding line.
Figure 03 handles parts sorting in BMW’s logistics flow
Figure 03, previous in Spartanburg From Figure 02 robots works in a different field. BMW tested the Figure 02 in the body shop during an 11-month pilot program. These robots placed sheet metal parts before the welding process and contributed to the production of more than 30 thousand BMW X3s during a production period of approximately 10 months. According to the data shared by Figure AI, Figure 02 robots worked for more than 1,250 hours, loaded more than 90 thousand parts and took more than 1.2 million steps.
Figure AI also announced that in this pilot, the robots traveled a distance of more than approximately 320 kilometers. This data makes it more understandable why BMW switched to a more fluid task such as logistics for Figure 03. While sheet metal placement work in the body shop requires precision, logistics sorting work emphasizes the skills of recognizing, grasping and handling different types of parts. Therefore, the new mission is important as it shows how humanoid robots can be used in a wider area within the factory.
Figure 03 comes with more advanced hardware than the previous generation. Figure AI CEO Brett Adcock announced that the robot features softer external components, wireless charging, speech-to-speech voice communication, tactile sensor hands and palmtop cameras. These components will help the robot grip parts better and move more safely across the same factory floor as workers. This robot, which is frequently compared to Tesla Optimus, is in a different position as it takes on a more concrete role in BMW’s production line.
Ulrich Wieland, vice president of production control and logistics at BMW Manufacturing, said Spartanburg has become the center of BMW manufacturing operations where humanoid robots are involved in daily work. Wieland stated that they completed the pilot with Figure 02 in the body workshop and this time they commissioned Figure 03 for the sorting task in logistics. BMW does not present humanoid robots as replacements for existing automation. The company positions robots as complementary machines that provide added value to existing automation.
In BMW factories artificial intelligence supported production vehicles also find wider coverage. The company constantly improves its production processes with complex virtual 3D simulations and virtual factory studies. Humanoid robots stand out as the counterpart of these digital works on the physical production side. BMW explains that it wants to use these machines in monotonous, ergonomically challenging or safety-risky tasks.
We see that BMW is conducting similar experiments on the European side. The company has launched the first humanoid robot pilot in Europe with Hexagon Robotics’ AEON robot at its Leipzig factory. In this pilot, processes such as battery assembly and parts production stand out. The Figure 03 study in Spartanburg opens up a new area of use focused on logistics in US production operations.
Figure 03’s mission in Spartanburg will provide a clearer picture of where humanoid robots can provide value in automotive manufacturing. Robots will be in the same flow as automatic transport systems and human workers when sorting the parts coming to the production line. In this way, BMW aims to distract employees from monotonous and physically demanding tasks. Figure 03 enters production logistics as the latest example of this goal on the factory floor.