German automaker Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Austin-based AI developer Apptronic to equip its factory robots with artificial intelligence, the companies announced Friday.
The agreement with Mercedes-Benz is Aptronic's first commercial contract to use Apollo robots in the real world and in the automotive industry. The organization In 2016, a human-centered robotics lab emerged at the University of Texas at Austin.
“When we set out to build Apollo, the partnership with Mercedes-Benz as we know it today was a dream,” Apollo founder and CEO Jeff Cardenas said in a statement.
Apollo's dimensions fall squarely in the human category – nearly six feet tall, weigh 160 pounds and can carry up to 55 pounds. The robot has a four-hour battery life and can be mounted in a standing position or given legs to walk. LED lights on Apollo's head and chest allow the robot to indicate its current status, such as charging and data processing.
Mercedes-Benz's Apollo robot automates “low-skill, physically demanding, repetitive, manual labor,” Cárdenas said, a model that other firms will replicate in the coming months and years.
Enlisting artificial robots in factories allows companies such as Mercedes-Benz to operate robots in environments designed for humans, eliminating the need to relocate.
As AI begins to infiltrate various sectors, policymakers and ethicists are concerned that the technology is displacing workers — both in knowledge-based fields and in business. Even if jobs remain, AI may give employers an excuse to invest less in human resources.
Mercedes-Benz, for its part, said it is a pilot to assess the potential impact of the Aptronic partnership.
Jörg Berzer, a member of the board of Mercedes-Benz, said in a statement: “We are looking for new options using robotics to support our skilled workforce in production. “This is a new frontier, and we want to understand the potential for robotics and automotive manufacturing.”
Apptroniks did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Decrypt.
The replacement of humans in the workplace by machines is an ongoing concern, and advances in artificial intelligence have rapidly pushed the technology into mainstream work.
UC Berkeley industrial engineering professor Ken Goldberg told Decrypt, “A lot of the work that's going on right now — why people are investing in these companies as a picture — is that the hope is that these things can work and adapt.”
While much of the focus has been on generative AI models such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Anthropic's Claude AI, humanoid robots powered by artificial intelligence are quickly taking center stage. While some may question the wisdom of building humanoid robots, Goldberg says there are many factors that determine whether they make sense. An example? Wheels with legs.
“Wheels can be a problem in a home. Most homes have carpets and stairs, and that's where the wheels really fall,” Goldberg said. .”
Many companies — including Hanson Robotics, Tesla, OpenAI-backed 1X and Honda — continue to develop robots intended for mass production to operate in dangerous environments such as space and other worlds.
On Wednesday, Silicon Valley-based Image AI unveiled its Image 01 robot, which uses OpenAI technology to conduct autonomous conversations, identify food and clean the environment simultaneously.
Edited by Ryan Ozawa.
