Automaker BMW says it will introduce humanoid robots for use in its car manufacturing operations in Europe, reports BBC News.

Two Aeon robots made by Hexagon Robotics have been assigned to work in production later this year, after a test deployment at BMW’s Leipzig factory.

"This will be the future of automotive production," Michael Nikolaides, head of process management and digitalisation at BMW told the BBC.

Robotic arms and other forms of automation have been used by the car industry for decades. But humanoid robots can replace human workers, obviating the need to redesign an assembly line, which is more expensive than buying and deploying robots.

The robots at BMW will feed parts to manufacturing tools, and will conduct pick-and-place tasks for battery assembly. 

Other automakers are exploring the use of robots. Toyota plans to use Digit humanoid robots from Agility Robotics following a successful trial, and China's Xiaomi has tested two of its own humanoid robots in electric vehicle production.

Hyundai, which is already using Spot robots for industrial inspection, announced in January that it plans to use Atlas humanoid robots, both made by Boston Dynamics in which Hyundai is a majority shareholder.

BMW has already had some experience using humanoid robots in Spartanburg, South Carolina, where the Figure O2 robot has helped to build 30,000 model X3 cars.

Aeon robots are human-shaped, stand 5ft 5in tall, and weigh 132 pounds. They have a top speed of nearly 8ft per second and can carry 33lbs for short periods, or 18lbs continuously. They come equipped with 21 sensors including cameras, radar, a microphone, and force and torque sensors for manipulation. Aeon only has a battery life of three hours, but a shift lasts for eight hours, so the robot has been designed to swap out its own battery in about three minutes, including travelling to and from the charging station.

According to the BBC, BMW trained the robots using a combination of teleoperation (sensors on humans) and simulation in a digital twin of the factory using software from artificial intelligence technology giant Nvidia.