BMW Group advances Physical AI use in production with Figure 03 humanoid robots

BMW Groups says, following a successful deployment with the humanoid robot Figure 02 at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, the company’s further-developed successor, Figure 03, will now start at the plant, working on complex sequencing applications in logistics.

“Plant Spartanburg is the birthplace of humanoid robotics in BMW Manufacturing’s operational day-to-day activities. Having already successfully completed a pilot with Figure 02 in our body shop, we are now looking forward to deploying Figure 03 for a sequencing use case in logistics,” said Ulrich Wieland, BMW Manufacturing vice president of production control and logistics, in a BMW Group press release.

In collaboration with the technology company Figure AI, the Figure 02 robot supported the production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles over 10 months, according to the release. In the body shop, the robot inserted sheet-metal parts for the welding process — a task that BMW Group noted demands high speed and accuracy and can be physically demanding.

“The collaboration demonstrated that humanoid robots can safely perform precise, repeatable work steps under real production conditions,” the release states.

Brett Adcock, Figure AI founder and CEO, added that the 11-month deployment of Figure 02 “proved that humanoids are no longer lab experiments — they can be a valuable asset in establishing a flexible, reliable manufacturing workforce.”

“We are excited to continue our work in Spartanburg as Figure tackles the complexity of the assembly and logistics hall,” he said in the release.

“The robot introduces several new features for expanded applications. These include soft components designed for enhanced safety, wireless charging designed for higher availability and audio functions for speech-to-speech communication, along with improved hands with tactile sensors and palm cameras designed to increase precision and dexterity,” said Adcock in the release.

In the new sequencing use case application, delivered components initially arrive in larger containers, unsorted.

Figure 03 will pick them up and sort them into a sequencing trolley. The trolley will then be taken to a defined collection point for onward transport. An automated tugger train or a Smart Transport Robot will then transport the parts to the installation location, where they will be provided to assembly employees “just in sequence,” the release states.

“This use case occurs frequently in automotive production logistics and offers potential for further development and scalability,” it states. “The use of humanoid robots is part of the BMW Group’s broader strategy to expand its automation portfolio with Physical AI. Humanoid robotics is a value-adding complement to existing automation. Its potential lies particularly in monotonous, ergonomically demanding, or safety-critical activities. The aim is to protect and most effectively utilize employees while further improving workplaces.” 

BMW notes that the new project is closely linked to the digital transformation of production at Plant Spartanburg.

Hall 52, where variants of the BMW X3 and, in the future, the electrified BMW iX5, will be assembled, has been extensively expanded and updated, according to the release.

“Digital applications were already used during planning and continue to be implemented in the BMW iFACTORY approach in daily production operations,” the release states. “Before components arrive at the production line, virtual 3D simulations help optimize processes and enable error-free implementation from the outset.

“The BMW Virtual Factory makes complexity manageable and supports employees by simulating human movement sequences. This tool refines manual processes from planning through to the production line. A key objective is to optimize employee ergonomics.”

BMW is also using AI in quality assurance with Artificial Intelligence Quality Next (AIQX). Plant Spartanburg uses AIQX for visual and acoustic quality inspection to ensure consistent quality in a dynamic production environment, the release states.

“BMW has established AIQX as a standard and is assessing options to make the system available to suppliers as well,” the release states. “It uses camera systems and sensors during line operations and provides line employees with immediate feedback via smart devices.”

BMW i Ventures has also announced its lead investment in KredosAi, a Seattle-based AI company.

The $7 million Series A round, led by BMW i Ventures with participation from new investors Motley Fool Ventures and Walter Venture Group, alongside existing investors Okapi Ventures, StartFast Ventures, SaaS Ventures, and Stout Street Ventures, was oversubscribed amid strong demand from both new and existing backers, according to a press release from BMW i Ventures.

BMW says the capital will “help KredosAi expand its go-to-market motion into financial services and auto lending, accelerate product innovation, and scale its team.”

“BMW i Ventures’ investment underscores its commitment to backing novel AI that delivers measurable enterprise value,” the release states. “At a moment when consumer delinquencies are approaching a five-year high, KredosAi is charting a new path in revenue recovery — one focused on behavioral science, adaptive engagement, and data network effects that unlock a new paradigm of performance and economics for the enterprise collections market.”

“In an environment where enterprises are under more pressure to improve retention, we saw a compelling opportunity for a solution that can create meaningful value at scale,” said Baris Guzel, Partner at BMW i Ventures, in the release.

The release explains that KredosAi’s intelligent engagement platform “sits between the moment a payment is due and the moment it becomes a write-off, which is the critical window where most enterprises still rely on a one-size-fits-all outreach that damages customer relationships without improving payment outcomes.”

It adds that the platform uses behavioral science and AI “to determine the right message, the right channel, and the right moment for each individual customer, replacing static campaigns with dynamic, adaptive engagement delivered at scale.”

Across its enterprise portfolio, KredosAi has demonstrated an 11.5% reduction in write-off rates and a 13.6% increase in customer lifetime value, translating into more than $50 million in annual bottom-line benefit for large enterprises, according to the release.

“We built KredosAi because we lived this problem from inside some of the largest enterprises in the world,” said Balaji Sridharan, CEO and Co-founder of KredosAi, in the release. “Even companies that invest heavily in customer loyalty abandon that standard the moment a payment is late. The legacy approach — the same message, the same channel, sent to millions of people — does little to solve the problem and a lot to damage the relationship.”

According to the release, KredosAi will deploy its capital across three “strategic priorities:”

• • Expanding go-to-market into financial services and auto lending
  • Accelerating product innovation with a multi-agent framework, and
  • Growing the team, with hiring concentrated in go-to-market, product, and engineering.

Images

Featured and secondary photos: Figure AI’s Figure 03 humanoid robots at work at BMW Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina. (Provided by BMW Group)

Video also provided by BMW Group