Schaeffler Wins Hermes Award for Humanoid Robot Actuator Platform

Motion Technology Company Schaeffler has received the globally renowned Hermes Award for its highly integrated actuator platform for humanoids. An independent jury chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, selected the winner from among three nominated companies. The award was presented during the official opening ceremony for Hannover Messe by Dorothee Bar, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space. The accolade recognizes outstanding products with a high level of innovation and significant benefits for industry, with this year's focus on the integration of mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence.

Schaeffler's award-winning actuator platform, which integrates innovative technologies, efficient production processes and extensive modularity, has been specifically designed for the joints of humanoid robots. As actuators account for around 50 percent of the total costs of humanoids, they are a pivotal factor in making them competitive. Schaeffler will therefore be instrumental in readying humanoid robots for large-scale industrial use. Georg F. W. Schaeffler, family shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler AG, stated that with this highly integrated actuator platform, the company is setting new benchmarks in this growth area by combining decades-long technology expertise with an excellent track record in industrialization.

Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, emphasized that receiving the Hermes Award is primarily an accolade for the company's engineers and product developers, but also acknowledges the concept of the Motion Technology Company. He noted that actuator technology, which enables energy to be converted into mechanical motion, illustrates the immense potential behind this concept, especially when combined with the capabilities of AI, making it a key technology for facilitating the breakthrough of humanoid robots.

The demand for highly efficient actuators for humanoid joints is growing worldwide, which is why Schaeffler is set to begin series production of components as early as this year. The company is building on its decades of experience as an automotive and industrial supplier to offer innovative, cost-effective solutions in top-tier quality with excellent reliability and scalability. The close integration of development, production and supply chain enables a fast and flexible production ramp-up. In this process, Schaeffler relies on its 12 core manufacturing technologies, including highly automated winding technology for coils and chipless metal forming for roller bearing rings a mere 1 mm thick.

Schaeffler's actuator platform includes rotary actuators that deliver precise and powerful rotational movements in key joints like shoulders, elbows and knees, enabling natural movement sequences. The platform is based on highly efficient electric motors with integrated power electronics along with high-precision encoders and can be configured flexibly with two-stage planetary or strain wave gears, depending on customer requirements. Thanks to an innovative architecture where the bearing is integrated into the rotor, the installation footprint is reduced by around 20 percent and the weight by up to 500 grams. This results in a design that is up to 10 mm more compact than other solutions while delivering high continuous torque. This combination of space-saving design, high efficiency, and flexible modularity makes Schaeffler's actuator platform a key technology for the drive systems of humanoid robots.

The actuator platform, as well as other innovative key components for humanoid robots and industrial solutions for intralogistics, will be on display at Booth E60 in Hall 13 from April 20 to 24. Learn more about Schaeffler's participation in Hannover Messe 2026 at https://www.schaeffler.com/en/news_media/press_releases/press_releases_detail.jsp?id=86195970.