Audi is testing three mobile humanoid robots in its Ingolstadt production lab for parts sequencing, handling roughly one million picks per day to supply final assembly lines. Announced at the Nvidia GTC conference in Berlin, the pilot project pairs the automaker with technology partners Agile Robots, Dassault Systèmes, and Nvidia to automate flexible and unsorted component handling. First tests took place in the spring of 2025, followed by an intensified technical development phase in the summer of 2025, building on supply-chain expertise where Audi logistics specialists define operational requirements to test the use case under real conditions.
Production Lab Testing in Ingolstadt
Humanoid robots pick components from bins and place them onto sequence carts that travel directly to the production line for premium vehicle models. The pilot project runs inside the Ingolstadt Production Lab, serving as a current feasibility study rather than a full production rollout, according to ad-hoc-news.de. Gerd Walker, production board member at Audi, stated that classical automation solutions have hit limits at this stage for decades, noting that combining industrial expertise with artificial intelligence opens new productivity paths. He explained: Beim Pickprozess in der Sequenzierung stoßen klassische Automatisierungslösungen seit Jahrzehnten an ihre Grenzen.
Produktionsvorstand Gerd Walker sagte zudem: Für die Zukunft der Produktion ist entscheidend, wie erfolgreich wir industrielle Expertise mit künstlicher Intelligenz verbinden.
Die Systeme sollen Beschäftigte vorwiegend bei körperlich belastenden oder monotonen Tätigkeiten entlasten, während solche Aufgaben bislang manuell erledigt werden. Die zweistämmigen Roboter verfügen über eine mobile Radplattform und KI-gestützte optische Wahrnehmung, um mit variantenreichen, halbflexiblen Bauteilen und biegeschlaffen Komponenten umzugehen sowie unsortierte Bauteile aus wechselnden Behältern, Positionen oder Verpackungen zu greifen.
Engineers Use Virtual Twins to Evaluate Deployment
Before physical deployment, engineers evaluate feasibility, cycle times, ergonomics, and safety using virtual twins built on the Dassault Systèmes 3DExperience platform and Nvidia Omniverse. Dassault Systèmes utilizes its Delmia application alongside Industry World Models to map the logistics environment digitally, and the AI-based virtual companion Leo is intended to assist engineers in planning processes in the future. Deepu Talla, vice president of robotics and edge AI at Nvidia, added that the simulation libraries allow teams to validate mobile humanoids without fundamentally altering current workflows.
Hardware Specifications of the Agile Robots Platform
Agile Robots serves as the hardware provider for the pilot, utilizing its Agile ONE SN research platform. The system stands 1.40 meters tall, weighs 40 kilograms, features 31 degrees of freedom, and handles payloads of up to three kilograms per arm. Equipment includes five-finger hands, cameras, LiDAR sensors, and the Nvidia Jetson Thor computing module, configured for the Nvidia Isaac GR00T software. The Munich-based company, founded in 2018, reports over 20,000 total robot installations globally across its broader product portfolio, though safety certification for the humanoid trial remains pending while integration of Nvidia safety technology is evaluated.
Is Kuka Involved in the Audi Robot Pilot?
Is Kuka involved in the Audi humanoid robot pilot?
No. Augsburg-based robot manufacturer Kuka is not participating in the project, as confirmed by reporting from augsburger-allgemeine.de.
Munich-based Agile Robots and Audi announced a proof-of-concept at NVIDIA GTC Berlin, mobile humanoids picking and sequencing parts at Audi's Ingolstadt plant for final assemblyDual-arm manipulation handles high-variant and semi-rigid parts, while AI perception identifies… pic.twitter.com/rZtVVs6MZh
When did Audi begin testing the system?
Initial tests began in the spring of 2025, followed by an intensified technical development phase in the summer of 2025.
What specific tasks do the robots perform on the factory floor?
The robots retrieve variant-rich, semi-flexible components from unsorted material containers and place them in precise order onto sequence carts for premium vehicle manufacturing.
Open Questions on Future Rollout
Whether and when the new helper robots will be deployed in the main plant in Ingolstadt remains open.
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