But the arms seem eerily human when they reach over to a stand and
change their “hand” to perform a different task. While the many robots
in auto factories typically perform only one function, in the new Tesla
factory a robot might do up to four: welding, riveting, bonding and
installing a component.
As many as eight robots perform a ballet around each vehicle as it stops
at each station along the line for just five minutes. Ultimately as
many as 83 cars a day — roughly 20,000 are planned for the first year —
will be produced at the factory. When the company adds a sport utility
vehicle next year, it will be built on the same assembly line, once the
robots are reprogrammed.
Tesla’s factory is tiny but represents a significant bet on flexible
robots, one that could be a model for the industry. And others are
already thinking bigger.
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