Pilot season has officially begun for the world of humanoid robotics. Last year, Amazon began testing Agility’s Digit robots in select fulfillment centers, while in January of this year, Figure announced a deal with BMW. Now Apptronik is getting in on the action, thanks to a partnership with Mercedes-Benz.
According to the Austin-based robotics startup, “as part of the agreement Apptronik and Mercedes-Benz will work together to identify applications for highly advanced robotics in Mercedes-Benz Manufacturing.” No specifics have been disclosed, as is customary for such deals. Generally, the actual number of systems included in a pilot program is quite small — understandably so, given the early nature of the technology.
Even so, these deals are seen as a win-win for both parties. Apptronik can show clear interest from a leading automaker, while Mercedes signals to customers and shareholders that it is looking to the future. What comes next is what really matters. If the pilot goes well, resulting in the automaker placing a large order, that would be a huge feather in Apptronik’s — and the industry’s — cap.
Humanoids have attracted a lot of investor interest lately, as evidenced by Figure’s recent impressive $675 million raise. The next two years will be critical to the continued success of these companies as they strive to demonstrate a significant return on investment (ROI).
As for what robots will actually do in the manufacturing space, co-founder and CEO Jeff Cardenas notes in a release, “Mercedes plans to use robotics and Apollo to automate some low-skill, physically challenging manual work—a case use model that we will see other organizations replicate in the months and years to come.”
“Low skill” refers to the level of work these systems will replace. My guess is that it involves a lot of getting from point A to point B — something repetitive and physically taxing that is both necessary and (relatively) easy to automate. The other important part of “low skill” is also likely an attempt to eliminate criticism of replacing human workers in the first place. We are still a long way from hominids who can do this in a meaningful way.
Apptronik is a University of Austin spinout best known for its work on NASA’s Valkyrie humanoid robot.
