BMW ADDS ROBOTS TO WORKFORCE - SKYNET APPROVES.
The BMW Group is testing humanoid robots in production for the first time. In a trial at BMW Plant Spartanburg, the Figure 02 robot from California company Figure inserted sheet metal parts into fixtures for chassis assembly. This robot needs to be highly dexterous for this task. Using robots like Figure 02 can save employees from doing awkward and tiring tasks. BMW and Figure are evaluating how to use these robots safely in car production. Check out the trial run here: https://b.mw/Figure_02. "Robotics advancements are promising. We are testing early applications for humanoid robots in production, aiming to guide this technology from development to industrial use," says Milan Nedeljković, BMW's Head of Production. The BMW iFACTORY vision focuses on efficiency, digitalisation, and sustainability. During the trial, BMW learned what’s needed to integrate multi-purpose robots into existing systems, including communication under real conditions. BMW and Figure are now preparing Figure 02 for future production applications and further development. Figure 02 represents the latest in robotics technology. "We are excited to introduce Figure 02, which completed successful testing at BMW Plant Spartanburg. It can perform complex tasks fully autonomously," says Brett Adcock, Figure’s CEO. Figure 02 is claimed to be the world’s most advanced humanoid robot. Its two-legged mobility and advanced dexterity make it ideal for demanding, unsafe, or repetitive tasks, enhancing ergonomics and safety. It has triple the processing power of its predecessor, improved voice communication, better cameras and sensors, a high-performance battery, and advanced hands with 16 degrees of freedom.
The robots can autonomously perform human-like, two-handed tasks with millimetre accuracy and dynamic walking. Currently, there are no Figure robots at BMW Plant Spartanburg and no timetable for their deployment - yet. BMW will keep working with Figure to collect data and train Figure 02 robots. Now if popular culture is to be believed, like The Simpsons always prognosticating things happening around the world and in politics, then this could be something to keep an eye on. Back in the early 90s, something like Skynet in the Terminator movies was laughable, but these days it’s a lot more probable. In the Terminator movies, things on the planet went downhill when robots started taking over everything after an artificial intelligence system called Skynet became self-aware. Skynet's activation was swift - Skynet was an AI defence network that was created for the U.S. military by the made-up Cyberdyne Systems. On August 29, 1997, Skynet became self-aware and started perceiving humans as a threat to its existence and it did what any self-respecting artificial intelligence system would do - it decided that humans were a threat to its existence and the planet overall. So in a bid to eliminate the threat, Skynet initiated a nuclear attack, triggering a global catastrophe known as Judgment Day. This became known as the Rise of the Machines and that’s when humans suffered. Post-apocalypse, Skynet used an army of machines, including Terminator robots, to hunt down and eradicate the remaining human survivors. So while this is all awesome and it brings BMW into the future, I really hope the other employees at the BMW plants treat these robots like they would any other employee, because, well….
Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off the new futuristic workforce that will eventually take over from humans and see the world being run by Skynet which should eventually see a Terminator come back to take them out: Humanoid Figure 02 robots tested at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg | BMW Group
Be sure to check out our YouTube channel here for more exciting and exclusive SXdrv content! And don't forget to smash that subscribe button!