Mercedes invests in humanoid robots

Production Mercedes invests in humanoid robots

2025-03-19 From Thomas Günnel | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

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Mercedes is investing in the American company Apptronik. The goal is to develop humanoid robots that can assist in production.

Jeff Cardenas (l.), Co-Founder of Apptronik, and Jörg Burzer sign the symbolic agreement for collaboration at the Mercedes plant in Marienfelde, Germany. (Bild: Thomas Günnel – VCG) — Jeff Cardenas (l.), Co-Founder of Apptronik, and Jörg Burzer sign the symbolic agreement for collaboration at the Mercedes plant in Marienfelde, Germany.
(Bild: Thomas Günnel – VCG)

Mercedes-Benz is investing in the robotics company Apptronik. The symbolic agreement was signed in Marienfelde by Production Chief Jörg Burzer and Jeff Cardenas, Co-Founder of Apptronik. The humanoid robot "Apollo" handed them the pen beforehand.Mercedes plans to invest "a low double-digit million amount" in the company, specifically for the development of humanoid robots. The first models—fewer than ten—are already being tested in Kecskemet, Hungary, and in Berlin. The approximately 1.73-meter (5'8") tall and 73-kilogram (approx. 161 lbs) "Apollo" robots, which resemble humans, have collected data in a test production environment to train for production tasks. Mercedes-Benz employees with practical production experience have transferred their knowledge to Apollo via teleoperation and augmented reality.Next, the Apollo robots will learn to act autonomously in Marienfelde. Technologically, this would be an important milestone. "The great advantage of humanoid robots is their flexibility; they are not tied to one place," said Production Chief Jörg Burzer during the presentation. He added, "The AI in the background makes the robots nearly error-free, for example, in picking parts from logistics boxes. The robots can carry up to 25 kilograms (approx. 55.12 lbs). They can operate—quite literally—for about four hours with a battery pack."

Jobs for Robots at Mercedes

However, the vision of a factory without humans, with thousands of robots moving around daily, does not exist. "In the end, it will be the same development as with body construction robots," Burzer describes. No one is discussing them anymore—quite rightly. The realistic goal is for the robots to primarily handle repetitive tasks. For instance, they could transport components or modules to the production line, conduct initial quality inspections, or carry out small assembly tasks.Burzer also mentioned that there could potentially be deployments "where skilled workers are lacking," provided, of course, that the robots can master the respective tasks. "There are many activities that only humans can perform—and that is also important," noted Jörg Burzer. One criterion for deploying the robots is their cost. A "double-digit thousand euro or dollar amount" per robot is conceivable.The advancements of the robots in recent months have been described by the production chief as "mind-blowing," overwhelming in terms of mechanics, hydraulics, and the underlying AI software.

About Apptronik
Apptronik was founded in 2016 in the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas in Austin. Since December 2024, the company has been collaborating with Google’s DeepMind robotics team. The goal is to create humanoid robots that can better assist people in dynamic environments.

BMW has tested the humanoid robot "Figure 02" at the Spartanburg plant. (Image:BMW)

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