Expensive robots, slow work; humans still ahead of machines:9.5 Cr spent on work that could have been done for ₹9,500, but was not effective

Despite betting billions on human-like robots (humanoids) in car factories, their productivity remains significantly lower and slower than humans. In BMW’s South Carolina and Hyundai’s Georgia plants, AI robots are performing tasks like pulling trolleys and lifting parts. Ulrich Wieland, BMW’s Vice President of Logistics, admitted that robots are slower than humans. According to Ben Armstrong of MIT, for simple tasks like sorting parts, humanoids are ‘an expensive solution of $1 million (₹9.5 crore) for a $100 (₹9,500) problem’. Companies are betting on these to increase automation without making changes to factories, because they don’t ask for lunch breaks, unions, or health insurance.
However, according to Prof. Susan Helper and Prof. Lawrence Eells, blindly bringing in expensive robots will slow down work, and humans will be left with only low-paying, boring jobs.
Due to a strong component supply chain in China, robots are made cheaply, and in view of this, the US communications regulator (FCC) has banned their import. Tesla’s Elon Musk stopped the production of Model S and X cars in California for the production of the ‘Optimus’ robot. After using this robot at Tesla’s restaurant in Los Angeles, Musk admitted that replicating the dexterity and sensitivity of the human hand is the most difficult challenge. For this reason, robots are lagging behind humans in terms of work speed and productivity.
Nevertheless, companies are continuously expanding the scope of robots in factories. At Hyundai’s Asan plant, automated vehicles, robotic dogs, and flat robots take Ioniq 5 and 9 cars to testing stations.
According to assembly manager Jerry Roach, they do not collide with pillars. Hyundai has acquired the robotics company Boston Dynamics. Meanwhile, BMW is using ‘Figure AI,’ and Mercedes is using ‘Aptronic’ robots. Hyundai’s Chief Administrative Officer, Brent Stubbs, claims that the advent of robots will create better jobs for humans in their care and maintenance.
However, Shawn Fain, President of the American United Automotive Workers Union (UAW), has called this a serious threat to human jobs. In protest of this, Hyundai employees in South Korea have gone on strike. U-Turn – Ford Recalls 350 Experienced Engineers Frustrated by AI’s mistakes and slow work, Ford recalled 350 experienced and retired engineers. With their help, quality improved. For this reason, Ford secured the first position in the J.D. Power Study.
Meanwhile, according to Sterling Anderson of General Motors, expensive legged robots are useless. Instead, cheaper ‘cobots’ with wheels are more effective. These robots make human work easier without replacing them in their jobs.