On 9 July, automotive giant Mitsubishi announced that it would begin using humanoid robots in its automotive manufacturing facilities from next year.
The robot race
Mitsubishi Motors will take the next step in progressing its production technology by adopting humanoid robots. Having invested in Highlanders, Inc., the company has also partnered with the robotics startup forming a strategic partnership. Mitsubishi will transition its existing facilities into “next-generation smart factories” using Highlanders’ technology while the robotics company will benefit from the carmaker’s manufacturing expertise and capabilities. Smart factories refer to production facilities equipped with AI, robotics and human-machine collaboration.
Mitsubishi unveiled its robots to the media in its Tokyo office earlier this month. The bipedal robot stands at 1.75 metres tall and is integrated with physical AI. The AI allows the robot to scan and assess its surroundings as well as use its hands to pick up objects. The robot is powered by NVIDIA graphics processing units (GPUs), while the robot’s hardware was developed in Japan.
In addition to performing simple manual tasks, the robots will collect operational data to improve and refine future processes.
According to Mitsubishi’s announcement, the company will allocate one of its production lines at its Kyoto plant for the robots’ deployment. The Kyoto plant has the manufacturing capability of 1,000 units per month and established quality management protocols that will support in the refinement of the new robot-integrated production process.
Humans or humanoids?
As Japan continues to face declining birth rates and consequent labour shortages, the automotive industry foresees ongoing labour shortages.
Takao Kato, Mitsubishi Motors’ Chairman and CEO, highlighted robots as a solution for the impending labour shortage. The use of humanoid robots may also address issues such as increasing physical demand from human workers as well as production complexity and flexibility. These robots may support organisational goals such as production and operational efficiency and resilience.
As the industry is only in the early stages of adapting robotic manufacturing, it may be a while before Japan sees a complete transition to AI or tech-exclusive production.
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