BMW Puts Figure 03 to Work Sorting Parts on the Spartanburg Factory Floor

BMW Group has moved its work with Figure AI past the testing stage and into regular factory shifts. At Plant Spartanburg in South Carolina, the Figure 03 humanoid robot now handles a daily logistics job inside assembly hall 52. The robot takes components that arrive in large, mixed containers and places them into the right spots on a sequencing trolley. That trolley then travels by automated tugger train or smart transport robot to the exact station where assembly teams need those parts next, delivered in the correct order.

This sequencing job is repeated throughout each shift, with three types of the electrified iX5 models to deal with, as well as the iX5 itself, all of which require extremely specific component combinations at precisely the proper times. Trying to do this job by hand, bending, stretching, and checking labels for hours on end, is very difficult. BMW chose this assignment for the robots because it highlights the strengths of a mobile two-armed robot while relieving humans of the heavy lifting.

The decision to move comes after a full year of hands-on experience with the previous Figure 02 model in the same factory. For ten months in 2025, that robot labored in the body shop, slapping sheet metal parts into welding equipment. During that period, it helped produce over 30,000 X3 models in real-world manufacturing circumstances, moving at the speed and accuracy required by the production line. That experience provided BMW the confidence to allow the next robot take on a more challenging task. Logistics entails traveling across the floor, dealing with a wide range of part shapes and sizes, and working in close proximity to other equipment and people. Figure 03 introduces a variety of focused upgrades that make it suited for this kind of project.


The hands on the F03 now include touch sensors and small cameras implanted in them, offering much more feedback when picking up irregularly shaped or delicate items. The softer elements of the body are also considerably less likely to cause injury if you accidentally bump into people, and with wireless charging, the robot can operate for hours without needing to be recharged. There is also audio hardware on board, allowing it to communicate directly with the crew as necessary.


Ulrich Wieland, vice president of production control and logistics at BMW Manufacturing, described the plant’s role clearly. “Plant Spartanburg is the birthplace of humanoid robotics in BMW Manufacturing’s operational day-to-day activities,” he said. “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.”


Brett Adcock, founder and CEO of Figure AI, noted what the earlier deployment proved. “Our 11-month deployment of Figure 02 proved that humanoids are no longer lab experiments,” he said. “They can be a valuable asset in establishing a flexible, reliable manufacturing workforce.” He added that Figure 03’s new features expand what the robot can take on in the assembly and logistics halls.