Insider Brief
- Schaeffler has entered a technology partnership with Neura Robotics to co-develop compact, high-torque actuators for humanoid robots, with applications focused on joints such as shoulders, elbows, and wrists.
- As part of the agreement, Schaeffler plans to integrate a mid-four-digit number of Neura humanoid robots into its global production network by 2035.
- The partnership includes joint use of production data to train AI models in real factory settings, contributing to Neura’s “Neuraverse” platform and advancing industrial deployment of cognitive robotics.
Schaeffler has entered into a technology partnership with Neura Robotics to jointly develop and supply key components for humanoid robots, including compact, lightweight actuators designed for continuous-duty use. The German industrial supplier also plans to integrate thousands of Neura’s humanoid systems into its global production network over the next decade, according to the company.
Schaeffler will contribute its experience in motion systems, particularly in planetary gear actuators used for high-torque joints in humanoid limbs while the collaboration gives the German robotics maker Neura a significant portion of the actuator supply it needs as it scales manufacturing. These compact, lightweight actuators enable shoulder, elbow, knee, and wrist joints to perform precise and sustained rotational movements, but they also require being designed for maximum torgue to allow humanoids to lift heavy loads.
“Humanoid robotics is an important growth segment for Schaeffler, and Neura is one of the most innovative companies in Europe,” noted Andreas Schick, Chief Operating Officer of Schaeffler AG. “The collaboration underscores our position as a preferred technology partner in this field. Schaeffler will bring decades of product and industrialization expertise to the partnership. By combining our expertise strategically, we are not only strengthening our own competitiveness but as pioneers in technology we are also setting benchmarks for Germany as a business location.”
Schaeffler indicated it aims to deploy a mid-four-digit number of humanoid units across its factories by 2035, and is also working with other robotics manufacturers as part of that effort. The robots will be trained on specific tasks using motion and interaction data collected from real production environments. This data will feed into Neura’s “Neuraverse,” a cognitive robotics platform designed to accelerate AI learning across robotic systems globally, the company said.
“With Schaeffler, one of Germany’s largest and most experienced industrial players is underscoring that you cannot wait for new technologies but must actively advance them,” David Reger, CEO and founder of Neura Robotics, pointed out. “This is how the German automotive industry once became a world market leader hand in hand with the automation sector. Together, we are committed to driving the industrialization of humanoids forward and creating above all what makes them deployable on an industrial scale: a global ecosystem for Physical AI, built on an independent European data foundation.”
Main image credit: Schaeffler
