Ford's factory robots make coffee and give fist bumps

Ford Europe has installed a pair of'collaborative robots' on its production line in Cologne, Germany, ostensibly to help fit shock absorbers to Fiestas. But in a video that the company just released, you can see their real purpose - making coffee for the workers. The robots, which were developed in collaboration with German robotics firm KUKA Roboter, are about a metre tall and equipped with sensors that stop them if they detect obstacles in their path. That's important, as last year a worker was killed at a Volkswagen production plant by a malfunctioning industrial robot. Ford says that its new bot is capable of pinpoint accuracy, strength and dexterity, which probably comes in handy when brewing coffee and giving high fives.