Together for humanoids

Schaeffler and Neura Robotics, a high-tech company in the field of cognitive robotics, have established a forward-looking technology partnership.

The collaboration encompasses the development and supply of key components for humanoid robots, such as innovative actuators. Schaeffler will also use Neura's humanoids in its global production network and integrate a mid-four-digit number of humanoids into its production by 2035. Schaeffler is also cooperating with other renowned manufacturers in this regard. Through the partnership, Neura Robotics secures a significant portion of the demand for compact and lightweight actuators for continuous duty operation. Both companies generate real-world application data that is essential for training humanoid robots. This data will be incorporated into the Neuraverse. This is a global cognitive ecosystem that connects physical AI and enables faster learning in order to continuously optimize the capabilities of robots.

Andreas Schick, Member of the Executive Board for Production, Supply Chain Management, and Purchasing at Schaeffler AG, says: “Humanoid robotics is an important growth area for Schaeffler, and Neura is one of the most innovative companies in Europe. The collaboration underscores our position as a preferred technology partner in this field. Schaeffler is contributing its decades of product and industrialization expertise to the cooperation. By strategically combining our know-how, we are not only strengthening our own competitiveness, but also setting standards for Germany as a business location as technology pioneers."

David Reger, CEO and founder of Neura Robotics, says: “With Schaeffler, one of Germany’s largest and most experienced industrial players is emphasizing that we must not wait for new technologies, but actively drive them forward. This is how the German automotive industry, hand in hand with the automation industry, became the global market leader. By joining forces, we aim to advance the industrialization of humanoids and, above all, create what makes their use scalable on an industrial scale: a global ecosystem for physical AI, with a sovereign European database."

A central component of the partnership is the joint collection and use of production data as a basis for developing the industrial robotics skills that will be needed in the production of the future. Using advanced systems, movement and interaction data is generated in the production environment and used to train AI models. This allows humanoid robots to be trained specifically for specific tasks and continuously developed.

 Together, new skills based on real application data will be developed for Schaeffler, while at the same time the database in Neuraverse will grow. Schaeffler will also contribute its extensive expertise in the development of planetary gear actuators. These are found, for example, in joints that perform precise rotational movements, such as shoulders, elbows, knees, or wrists.
 Despite their compact and lightweight design, they must be designed for maximum torque in continuous load operation. Schaeffler offers performance classes up to 250 Newton meters in its actuator portfolio for humanoids. This enables the 4NE1 humanoid, for example, to transport even heavy weights.