Industrial Next Partners With BMW to Test AI Robotics That Retool Lines in Minutes
Updated
Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 13
Industrial Next Partners With BMW to Test AI Robotics That Retool Lines in Minutes
3 articles · Updated · TechCrunch · Oct 13
Summary
BMW Group Technology Office will evaluate Industrial Next’s AI-powered dexterous-manipulation system for manufacturing, the startup said at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026.
Industrial Next says its self-contained robotic stations can be retooled in minutes rather than the weeks or months typical of fixed factory automation, using proprietary foundation models that link vision, task context and motion.
The company trains robots in high-fidelity simulations instead of hard-coded scripts, aiming to automate delicate, high-precision work that has resisted conventional industrial robots.
Some stations are already used in smartphone production for tasks such as flex-cable threading, connector-cap placement and film peeling, which the company says can run at or above human speed with 100% accuracy.
Founded in 2021 by former Tesla engineers Lukas Pankau and Allen Pan, Industrial Next is targeting broader factory use and ultimately says it wants fully automated car assembly.