humanoid robots2 articles
Hyundai Says Robot Fears Aren't Behind South Korean Strike. Workers Disagree.
Hyundai Motor Company has disputed reports that its plans to deploy humanoid robots by 2028 are driving partial strikes by South Korean autoworkers, stating that union negotiations are focused on compensation issues like wages, bonuses, and retirement age. However, the Wall Street Journal has reported that the union is seeking unprecedented job protections against automation and AI, and the union has previously warned that no robots will enter the workplace without a labor-management agreement. The dispute reflects a broader wave of labor negotiations over automation in South Korea, spurred by a new law that requires large-scale automation decisions to be subject to collective bargaining.
BMW Puts Humanoid Robots on the Factory Floor. The Hype Is Real, Sort Of.
BMW is introducing humanoid robots, made by Hexagon Robotics, into European car manufacturing for the first time, with two units set to begin production work at its Leipzig factory this summer. The human-shaped "Aeon" robots are designed to fit into existing workflows alongside human workers, carrying out tasks such as feeding parts to tools and battery assembly, and are trained using AI techniques including teleoperation and reinforcement learning. While BMW sees humanoid robots as the future of automotive production — helping address labour shortages and repetitive or physically demanding tasks — analysts caution that the technology has been overhyped and that public expectations of robot capabilities often exceed reality.