How does the robot work?
The Figure robot is a 5’6, 130-pound bipedal hunk of metal capable of lifting around 45 pounds and walking up to 2.7 miles per hour. Figure, which aspires to make “the world’s first commercially viable general purpose humanoid robot” says its Figure 01 model can operate for around five hours before needing to recharge. Though it’s unclear exactly how the robot will work in an automobile factory setting, Figure believes its device generally will “enable the automation of difficult, unsafe, or tedious tasks.”
As to what the humanoid robots will be doing at the factory exactly, Figure spokesperson told PopSci that “tasks have yet to be announced publicly.” A BMW spokesperson said that the automakers are “investigating concepts.”
The agreement between BMW and Figure features multiple phases. At first, the companies will look to “identify initial use cases” for the robots. Once those are established, the robots will make their debut at BMW’s Spartanburg, South Carolina manufacturing facility. A BMW spokesperson from the company’s South Carolina facility told PopSci it’s investigating ways to use the humanoid robot in the facility and said it could prove useful in situations where two hands are needed to grip certain objects. The BMW spokesperson did not provide more specific use cases and said there isn’t currently a timetable for when the robot could arrive on site.
“BMW is always exploring the latest technology to make our processes more efficient. Companies that invest in innovation such as this are more sustainable, become more productive, and have a competitive advantage,” the spokesp….
