INTRODUCING APOLLO
On March 15, Apptronik, manufacturer of generalpurpose robots aimed to simplify work, announced its partnership with Mercedes-Benz to integrate their advanced robots into Mercedes-Benz manufacturing. As part of this collaboration, Mercedes-Benz is introducing Apollo–touted as one of the world’s most advanced commercial humanoid robots–into its manufacturing facilities with the hope of equipping staff with tools for enhanced productivity and efficiency. Apollo will be utilized for various tasks such as logistics, delivering parts to the production line, assisting in assembly processes, and inspecting components.
QUICK CHANGE
Toyota has filed a patent application for colour-changing paint, a technology that the automaker reports could let owners or dealerships quickly swap a vehicle’s style. The patent application describes how the technology could be beneficial for owners who want to change the colour of their vehicle to keep up with trends, or for dealerships that want to make cars easier to sell. Instead of using a complex repaint or vinyl wrap, Toyota claims to have developed paint that can be altered in reaction to heat and light. As the paint surface is heated, a lightemitting colour moderator device would be passed over the paint surface to complete the transformation. The colour modulator, which could be controlled by either a human operator or a robot, would then communicate with a remote server as well as temperature sensors embedded in the vehicle’s bodywork to determine the correct settings for a specific colour.
