Pilot project: BMW deploys humanoid Aeon robot in Germany
BMW now also wants to use humanoid robots in automotive production in Europe. A pilot project is set to begin at the BMW plant in Leipzig in the summer.
The humanoid Aeon robot at work in the BMW plant in Leipzig.
(Image: BMW Group)
Automaker BMW plans a pilot project to use AI-based humanoid robots in automotive production at a plant in Leipzig. Aeon robots from the Swiss company Hexagon Robotics will be used. This was announced by the BMW Group. A first test already took place in December 2025. Another test deployment is planned for April. The pilot project itself is scheduled to begin in the summer of 2026.
BMW already has some experience with the use of humanoid robots in automotive production at its US plant in Spartanburg. However, since 2025, BMW has been using humanoid Figure-02 robots from the US robotics company Figure AI there, not Aeon robots. The automaker evaluated how a humanoid robot equipped with physical intelligence can be used in production and, together with Figure AI, optimized the robot and its application possibilities.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externes YouTube-Video (Google Ireland Limited) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (Google Ireland Limited) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
Figure 02 worked there daily for ten months in a 10-hour shift in the area of sheet metal welding. Its task was the precise positioning of sheet metal parts for the welding process. This is a heavy and tiring task, but one that must be performed with high accuracy and speed. The robot completed 1250 operating hours and moved around 90,000 sheet metal parts. It was involved in the construction of approximately 30,000 BMW X3s.
From the Lab to Production
At the BMW plant in Leipzig, the Aeon robot is to be used in the assembly of high-voltage batteries and in component manufacturing. This applies to both the test and pilot phases. BMW is testing the robot's use step by step before it is deployed in production. First, a production environment will be recreated at Hexagon Robotics in the lab to find out if and how the robot can be integrated into production. Only then will a test deployment under real production conditions at the BMW plant follow, and then the pilot phase.
The humanoid robot Aeon from Hexagon Robotics is still comparatively new. It was only introduced in June 2025 and is the company's first humanoid robot. The robot is 1.65 m tall and weighs 60 kg. It has 34 degrees of freedom, including hands, and can lift weights up to 8 kg, and briefly up to 15 kg.
Videos by heise
Although it has human-like legs, it can also move forward on two wheels. In industrial environments with relatively smooth floors, it is thus faster and more effective, traveling at speeds of up to 2.4 m/s. The robot receives its energy from batteries that can be exchanged during operation and keep it running for up to four hours.
(olb)
