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Manufacturing

Tesla, Hyundai, BMW, Mercedes test smarter robots as manufacturing aims for human-free ‘dark factory’

An ABB "Flexley tug" robot carries the skeleton of a car in an auto factory. The tug is an autonomous mobile robot, known as an AMR, that can navigate on its own rather than relying on a predetermined path embedded on a factory floor.
An ABB "Flexley tug" robot carries the skeleton of a car in an auto factory. The tug is an autonomous mobile robot, known as an AMR, that can navigate on its own rather than relying on a predetermined path embedded on a factory floor. (ABB)
PB
By:
Pete Bigelow
May 21, 2025 11:00 AM
An ABB "Flexley tug" robot carries the skeleton of a car in an auto factory. The tug is an autonomous mobile robot, known as an AMR, that can navigate on its own rather than relying on a predetermined path embedded on a factory floor.
An ABB "Flexley tug" robot carries the skeleton of a car in an auto factory. The tug is an autonomous mobile robot, known as an AMR, that can navigate on its own rather than relying on a predetermined path embedded on a factory floor. (ABB)

Automakers and other manufacturers have spent decades infusing automation into their factories and attempting to minimize their reliance on human workers.

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