MUNICH (dpa-AFX) - BMW is using human-like robots in car production for the first time. At the US plant in Spartanburg, the humanoid robot Figure 02 successfully placed sheet metal parts in the body shop in a real production environment during a test run lasting several weeks. Production Director Milan Nedeljkovic said: "The developments in the field of robotics are very promising. With an early test operation, we are now exploring the possibilities of using humanoid robots in production."

According to BMW, a particularly tactile ability is required for the production step in question. The two-legged robot Figure 02 can walk and deftly place various complex parts with millimeter precision using two human-sized hands. It is ideally suited for physically difficult, tiring or even unsafe tasks. BMW and the Californian robot manufacturer Figure now want to prepare it for future applications and develop it further./rol/DP/men