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Back to Podcast EpisodesThis Cute Robot Dog May Help Build Your Next Mercedes-Benz
Our robot overlords have been helping us make cars
If you’ve ever watched videos of a car factory, you likely know that robots play a significant role in producing the cars on the road today. Usually, these robots typically appear as large orange or yellow arms that weld components together, paint body panels, and/or handle heavy lifting or repetitive tasks that could be taxing for human workers.
However, at Mercedes-Benz’s Sprinter van plant in Düsseldorf, Germany, the newest robotic recruit doesn’t look like a traditional robot at all. Instead, it strolls on four legs, has surprisingly good hearing, and answers to the name Aris. It’s the automaker's new robo-dog, but its purpose is not to build vans directly; it's here to make the entire process better for Mercedes-Benz.
Mercedes-Benz
Aris is tasked with an important job at Düsseldorf
Unlike the kind of robot dogs you might see on YouTube doing tricks and innocuous tasks for their owners, Aris is tasked with a much more pressing task at Mercedes. His job is detecting compressed air leaks. Although it might not sound like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, compressed air systems are notorious energy hogs, especially in a facility like the 5,500-person, 325,000 square meter Sprinter factory in Düsseldorf. Just one unnoticed leak can cost thousands per year in wasted energy.
According to the company, the robo-dog’s keen electronic ears and acoustic imaging module can localize noise anomalies and turn them into visual maps. That means that if it hears something hissing, squeaking, or buzzing where it shouldn’t, Aris will find it before it turns into a big and expensive problem. Mercedes claims that Aris’s proactive approach to maintenance prevents about 60% of energy loss from leaks, leading to annual savings in the six-figure range.
However, Aris isn’t just tasked with checking for compressed air leaks. He can also inspect analog gauges and collect and log their data to make it easy for humans to review later. In addition, Aris can adapt to all kinds of inspection and monitoring tasks, as it can traverse stairs, patrol different facility areas, and check safety escape routes. Mercedes is also looking at future uses for Aris, like creating a digital twin for the Düsseldorf plant and allowing it to produce a complete, continuously updated 3D model of the factory floor that engineers can use to optimize workflow without shutting down production.
Mercedes-Benz
Aris isn't the first robot Mercedes put on duty
Aris is just the latest robotic experiment Mercedes-Benz is exploring in its production facilities. In March 2024, the automaker inv
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