Motion technology provider Schaeffler has made a minority investment in bipedal mobile robot developer Agility Robotics.
In addition to the investment, the companies have signed an agreement in which Schaeffler, intends to purchase humanoid robots from Agility Robotics for use across the whole global Schaeffler plant network.
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Earlier this year Agility reportedly became the first company to formally commercially deploy humanoid robots after signing a multi-year agreement with GXO, to deploy its Digit robot in GXO’s logistics operations.
That agreement also became the industry’s first robots-as-a-service (RaaS) deployment of humanoid robots, and the project made the companies finalists in the Supply Chain Excellence Awards USA.
Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer of Schaeffler, said: “In disruptive times, implementing innovative manufacturing solutions is crucial to be successful. Here, humanoids play an important role.
We, at Schaeffler, will integrate this technology into our operations and see the potential to deploy a significant number of humanoids in our global network of 100 plants by 2030. We look forward to the collaboration with Agility Robotics which will accelerate our activities in this field.”
Adding, Peggy Johnson, Agility Robotics CEO, said: “While our technology is helping companies like Schaeffler transform their manufacturing, logistics, and warehousing businesses, scaling the use of humanoid robots will require them to work cooperatively with humans and outside of the safety cages they are in today.”
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