Sanctuary AI has recently revealed its plans to provide a humanoid robot to a Magna manufacturing facility. Magna, with its auto manufacturing facilities in Austria, is a prominent player in the industry, producing and assembling cars for renowned European automakers such as Mercedes, Jaguar, and BMW. As is customary in such deals, Sanctuary AI typically keeps the number of its robots undisclosed.
The news comes after Figure and Apptronik recently announced their own partnerships with BMW and Mercedes, where they are testing their humanoid systems. In January 2020, Agility also made an announcement about a partnership with Ford at CES. As part of this agreement, Ford was looking into utilizing Digit units for last-mile deliveries. Agility has shifted its focus to warehouse deployments, working closely with partners such as Amazon.
In 2021, Magna made an investment in Sanctuary AI, coinciding with Elon Musk’s announcement of his intention to develop a humanoid robot for Tesla factories. The company later named the system “Optimus”. Sanctuary, a Vancouver-based company, introduced its own system called Phoenix in May of last year. The system is 5’7” tall and weighs 155 pounds, which is a typical size for these machines.
Phoenix is not the first humanoid deployed by Sanctuary. A Canadian retailer used an earlier model. However, Phoenix is the first one to have the ability to walk on legs. It is interesting to note that most of the available videos only focus on the system’s torso. The company has also prioritized the development of dexterous hands, which is crucial for expanding the system’s functionality beyond simply moving around totes.
Magna describes the pilot program as a comprehensive evaluation that leverages Magna’s automotive product portfolio, engineering expertise, and manufacturing capabilities to enhance the cost-effectiveness and scalability of robots. Additionally, Magna has made a strategic equity investment in Sanctuary.
As always, we should view these agreements as just that: pilots. They don’t really confirm the form factor and systems; that will be determined later, assuming Magna achieves its desired outcome with the deal. The key factor is ROI.
The company is not providing detailed information about the number of robots, the duration of the pilot, or the specific factory where they will be deployed.
