Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung recently examined BMW’s work with Hexagon Robotics’ humanoids at its Leipzig plant, where the carmaker is using AEON, the multipurpose industrial humanoid robot.
The piece looks at this development through the lens of industrial production, factory integration, and the practical challenges of bringing humanoid robots into real manufacturing environments.
AEON’s at BMW Leipzig
At BMW’s Leipzig plant, AEON is expected to support applications in battery production and plastic component manufacturing. For BMW, humanoid robots are not only another form of automation, but part of Physical AI moving into factory environments: systems that can perform in the real world and support production tasks.
BMW also points to practical design choices that matter for factory use. Michael Ströbel, Head of Process Engineering and Automation at BMW, told FAZ that AEON’s wheels are expected to make the robot faster and reduce energy consumption, enabling longer operating times. BMW also values AEON’s ability to automatically replace its own battery as an important advantage, reducing the downtime required for recharging.
These advantages connect directly to the broader challenge of humanoid robotics in manufacturing: integration.
“Integrating humanoid robots seamlessly into the complex production processes of a factory is difficult. Hexagon Robotics understands this extremely well.”, Michael Ströbe, Head of Process Engineering and Automation at BMW, told FAZ.
Industrial experience as a differentiator
That understanding is rooted in Hexagon’s industrial background. The Robotics division builds on Hexagon’s expertise in sensors, measurement technology, software and industrial production systems already used across manufacturing environments worldwide.
This foundation matters because factory deployment requires more than a robot body and an AI model. As Arnaud Robert, President of Hexagon Robotics, told FAZ: “Forty thousand industrial companies use technology from our parent company, Hexagon. That is a major advantage for us.”
That expertise shapes AEON for real production environments, where uptime, task validation and integration into factory workflows are essential.
AEON and the future of humanoid robots in factories
The FAZ feature captures an important moment for industrial humanoid robotics. Humanoids are moving from high-profile demonstrations toward practical factory use, where success depends on adressing the realities of production.
For Hexagon Robotics, AEON reflects that shift. Its development brings together AI, robotics, measurement technologies and industrial expertise to support deployment in manufacturing environments.
As industrial companies such as BMW explore the role of humanoid robots in production, AEON shows how Physical AI can move from concept to factory floor.