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... In case you hadn't noticed, humanoid robots have joined the workforce.

An evergreen staple of science fiction, autonomous AI-driven machines with feet, legs that bend at the knee, torsos, arms with hands and fingers, all topped with a head are now being deployed in real workplaces.

Specifically:

Amazon is piloting the use of Agility Robotics' humanoid robot, Digit, in logistics operations " mainly for picking up empty bins and returning them to where they can be filled again with merchandise.

Mercedes-Benz is collaborating with Apptronik to explore the use of the Apollo humanoid robot in manufacturing. (The robots deliver assembly kits to production lines.)

BMW is testing Figure AI's humanoid robot, Figure 01, at its factory in Spartanburg, SC. They're used for moving components onto jigs and making corrections to component placements. (Figure recently unveiled its Figure 02 robot, which is even more humanoid than the first one.)

- - - Hyundai, through its subsidiary Boston Dynamics, is working on deploying the Atlas humanoid robot in its manufacturing plants. The aim is to scale up its use for industrial applications.

- - - Tesla developed the Optimus humanoid robot and has already deployed two of them in a factory, mainly for sorting battery cells.

- - - UBTECH Robotics' Walker robot is being used in two Chinese car factories for a wide variety of repetitive manufacturing tasks, such as placing car logos on vehicles and performing quality inspections.

For now, these robots are solutions in search of problems -- or, rather, they're being used for menial work of value nowhere near the price of the robots. But companies expect their roles to grow.

Why humanoid? ...