Mercedes is trialing humanoid robots for ‘low skill, repetitive’ tasks
Mercedes is trialing humanoid robots for ‘low skill, repetitive’ tasks
Apollo’s first test will be delivering parts to the production lines.
I cannot conceive of a task where a humanoid robot would be better suited than just a robot built for the task without trying to mimic a human form.
Minimal investment. A purpose-built robotic production line is incredibly expensive and can onl- do what it was designed for. Theoretically, using these robots requires no alterations to the existing facilities, allowing mercedes to trial them with very low risk and comparably low losses if things don't work out.
Most of the production line is already roboticised. Less with Mercedes than say VW because Mercedes sells more leather seats and walnut interiors but by and large it's mostly robots.
Apptronik says that Mercedes is exploring use cases like having Apollo inspect and deliver components to human production line workers.
...I fail to see how that isn't better solved with logistics robots on rails or wheels. I suspect it's Apptronik coming to Mercedes and saying "hey wanna try this we pay" and Mercedes says "why not" and Apptronik goes "wee, cheap publicity".
wouldnt it make more sense to do a trial that tests their supposed advantages over purpose built robots rather than one which decidedly does not
Yes, but if the task is multi purpose, humanoid form makes it possible for it to fit where humans fit and use human tools etc..
Yeah but the article says the only thing these ones are gonna do is deliver parts which is probably overkill for the likely expense for the kind of sophistication necessary to imitate even a fraction of a human worker’s versatility. To say nothing about the difficulty involved in adapting them to various tasks without reprogramming or training.
"Low skill" tasks, huh? So I guess they'll be replacing the CEOs first, eh?
😂
Mercedes also better support UBI so that these workers who will lose their jobs to automation don't starve to death.
While I still support UBI, last time robots replaced people doing repetitive tasks, people did find other jobs. Actually there was much bigger unemployment in Britain where the auto industry crumbled since they couldn't compete with the rest of the world using robots.
People work their bodies into breaking in these kinds of jobs, which I just find ethically wrong. I get that there are risks with every job, but basically being guaranteed to get injuries from repetitive motions etc. is a big ask. I support robots taking over such tasks.
I also don't think it's a hot take that Mercedes (and fucking everyone) should support UBI. Everyone has a right to live, and if we must have this capitalistic society, then everyone should have some means of access to it. No one chooses to be born, but once they are we as a society have a responsibility to ensure that they can live their lives with dignity.
If companies want to partake in society, they better contribute to it as well.
Governments should push UBI, not corporations like Mercedes
Unless they are forced to care about their workers, they won't. There is no profitablity to caring about what they see as expenses.
Generally the idea is those workers will find other work and the production capacity will increase.
and for people to be able to actually buy their garbage too.
They make realls nice cars to their credit
also had* better support
Looks like these are for their factory in Hungary. They are having trouble finding workers because all the ones who can are migrating West.
If they paid more, they could probably still hire people. Obviously those who left want to work. It's hard to believe that these robots are cheaper than workers in Hungary. I think they're just following other car manufacturers who are doing the same thing.
Probably just a case of people fucking off from a quasi dictatorship
The money from corpo investors probably helps a lot.
Make the robots have planned obsolescence and see how they feel about it.
Like 80 years on average, but with a bit of randomness?
This really sucks for many disabled people who rely on 'low skill, repetitive' jobs to survive. I hope Mercedes addresses this (I doubt, given how capitalists hate disabled people).
I think disabled people should get money from the state, they've already been delt a bad hand in life, they shouldn't have to do repetitive tasks for survival. I don't know how it is in Germany but where I live disabled people get benefits so they don't have to work to survive.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Apptronik says that Mercedes is exploring use cases like having Apollo inspect and deliver components to human production line workers.
Neither company has disclosed any figures for the agreement or how many Apollo robots are being trialed.
The company says its approach instead “centers on automating some physically demanding, repetitive and dull tasks for which it is increasingly hard to find reliable workers.”
The Financial Times reports that Mercedes has started trialing an undisclosed number of Apollo robots at a factory in Hungary.
“This is a new frontier and we want to understand the potential both for robotics and automotive manufacturing to fill labor gaps in areas such as low skill, repetitive and physically demanding work and to free up our highly skilled team members on the line to build the world’s most desirable cars,” said Mercedes’ production chief Jörg Burzer.
Apollo stands at five feet, eight inches tall, with Apptronik claiming the robot can lift objects up to 55 pounds.
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