Apptronik

The humanoid robots, called Apollo, will work alongside the human staff into the carmakers’ manufacturing facilities. Global luxury carmaker Mercedes is bringing humanoid robots to help its workers in assembling car parts and inspection, as the company looks to automate some physically demanding tasks. Mercedes-Benz has partnered with Apptronik, a company that designs general purpose humanoid robots. The humanoid robots, called Apollo, will work alongside the human staff…

Apptronik Humanoid robots have been coming on leaps and bounds in recent years, and some major companies are starting to take note. Mercedes-Benz, for example, has just entered into an agreement with Texas-based robotics specialist Apptronik to collaborate on identifying applications for highly advanced robots that could be deployed by the auto giant. The deal will involve a trial that will see Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robot work alongside Mercedes’ human workers on the factory floor. As part of the trial, the…

The robotics industry loves a good, healthy debate. Of late, one of the most intense ones centers around humanoid robots. It’s been a big topic for decades, of course, but the recent proliferation of startups like 1X and Figure — along with projects from more established companies like Tesla — have put humanoids back in the spotlight. Proponents of the form factor point out that we’ve built our world to fit ourselves, so it makes sense that we would build robots like ourselves to fit it. There are also certain…

Standing at 6 feet 2 inches (188 centimeters) tall and weighing 300 pounds (136 kilograms), NASA's humanoid robot Valkyrie is an imposing figure. Valkyrie, named after a female figure in Norse mythology and being tested at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is designed to operate in "degraded or damaged human-engineered environments," like areas hit by natural disasters, according to NASA.But robots like her could also one day operate in space. A humanoid robot resembles a person, typically with a torso, head,…