BMW Group advances the use of Physical AI in production with Figure 03 project in Spartanburg
BMW Group advances the use of Physical AI in production with Figure 03 project in Spartanburg
Publish Date: 2026-06-25 09:03:00
Source Domain: www.press.bmwgroup.com
Munich/Spartanburg, USA. BMW Group intensifies the
usage of digitalization and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in
production. With so-called Physical AI, which connects digital AI with
real machines and robots, intelligent systems such as humanoid robots
can be integrated into real production processes. Following a
successful deployment with the humanoid robot Figure 02 at BMW Group
Plant Spartanburg in the USA, the further-developed successor, Figure
03, will now start at Spartanburg, working on complex sequencing
applications in logistics.
“Plant Spartanburg is the birthplace of humanoid robotics in BMW
Manufacturing’s operational day-to-day activities. Having already
successfully completed a pilot with Figure 02 in our body shop, we are
now looking forward to deploying Figure 03 for a sequencing use case
in logistics,” says Ulrich Wieland, Vice President of Production
Control and Logistics, BMW Manufacturing.
“Our 11-month deployment of Figure 02 proved that humanoids are no
longer lab experiments – they can be a valuable asset in establishing
a flexible, reliable manufacturing workforce,” says Brett Adcock,
Founder & CEO of Figure AI. “We are excited to continue our work
in Spartanburg as Figure tackles the complexity of the assembly and
logistics hall.”
The BMW Group already gained important experience with humanoid
robotics at Plant Spartanburg in 2025. In collaboration with the
technology company Figure AI, the Figure 02 robot supported the
production of more than 30,000 BMW X3 vehicles over ten months. In the
body shop, the robot inserted sheet-metal parts for the welding
process – a task that demands high speed and accuracy and can be
physically demanding.
The collaboration demonstrated that humanoid robots can safely
perform precise, repeatable work steps under real production conditions.
Next step with the next-generation Figure 03 robot
The findings…
