Humanoids already working at Mercedes-Benz Automotive

Times of Industrial Revolution.

That future shown in movies and series where we saw these machines that imitate our shape working side by side with human mechanics, accelerating the production of the cars that we continue to drive for now seems to be here to stay.

Mercedes-Benz announced that it is already testing Apollo robots to revolutionize its assembly lines in Europe and the United States. With this bold initiative, the German manufacturer could not only surpass competitors such as Tesla, BMW and Hyundai, but also radically change the future of the automotive industry.

Could it be that this technology puts the Europeans ahead of the Americans and Chinese in this technological competition.

Mercedes-Benz is testing the Apollo humanoid robots developed by the American company Apptronik in Berlin and Hungary to perform tasks that until now were exclusive to humans, especially in the logistics area and automotive assembly.

Unlike traditional industrial robots that remain fixed in one place performing repetitive tasks, Apollo robots can walk freely through factories transporting components between workstations, this reduces physical pressure on human workers dramatically increases operational efficiency and frees up time for more complex and specialized activities, in other words it eliminates many human jobs or depending on your point of view relocates them to other functions that have emerged with the development of humanoids.

It is a fact that in 2024 and in this already begun year 2025, these robots have emerged in large quantities and many of them are actually quite advanced given the short development time and in some cases it is 10 to 24 months of existence, it is also true that humanoid robotics has been in general development for decades, so why only in recent months have we seen this boom in this sector.

The boom of recent months

The secret behind robots is in artificial intelligence. In addition to the Apollo Mercedes-Benz in association with Google Deep Mind they are using systems called Gemini Robotics and Gemini Robotics Extended Resun based on the Gemini 2.0 platform, one of the most advanced available today. These AIs allow you to monitor, detect and quickly correct any problem or anomaly in production, guaranteeing very high levels of quality and efficiency. The system is also integrated into the digital management of factories through an advanced jetbot that helps human operators and connected robots make faster and more accurate decisions.

Initially, the Apollo robots are trained through teleoperation where human operators remotely guide the robots in their tasks. Over time, AI learns from these human movements and begins to operate completely autonomously, further optimizing production. For Mercedes, the ultimate goal is a complete integration between humans and robots, creating a highly efficient and safe hybrid work environment.

And in some previous posts we talked about how China is taking the lead in the technological race, surprising with various models of robots, shortly after we saw the United States respond with robots with fluid and almost human movements, now however we see Europe entering the competition with Mercedes-Benz in the lead, surprising by placing humanoid robots directly in the real production of vehicles.

A decisive step in the global technology race and this competition intensifies even more, while Elon Musk promised, but has not yet delivered Óptimus humanoid robots in Tesla factories, Mercedes is already putting the Apollo into real operation, could it be that the Europeans have finally taken the lead?

What do you think, who do you think is winning this technological race so far, Europe, the United States or China?