Schaeffler Wins Hermes Award for Humanoid Robot Actuator Platform
Schaeffler's scalable actuator platform for humanoid robots, which reduces costs and size while enabling natural movement, has won the prestigious Hermes Award, positioning the company as a key enabler for industrial-scale humanoid robotics.
Motion Technology Company Schaeffler has received the globally renowned Hermes Award for its highly integrated actuator platform for humanoids. The award, presented during the opening ceremony for Hannover Messe by Federal Minister of Research Dorothee Bär, recognizes outstanding products with high innovation and significant industrial benefits, with this year's focus on integrating mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence.
The actuator platform, specifically designed for humanoid robot joints, addresses a critical cost factor since actuators account for approximately 50 percent of total humanoid expenses. Schaeffler's solution integrates innovative technologies, efficient production processes, and extensive modularity to make humanoid robots competitive for large-scale industrial use. The company will begin series production of components this year, leveraging decades of automotive and industrial supplier experience to offer cost-effective, reliable, and scalable solutions.
Georg F. W. Schaeffler, family shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, stated the award reflects the company's 80-year history of innovation, particularly in growth segments like humanoid robotics. CEO Klaus Rosenfeld emphasized that the accolade honors engineers and product developers while validating Schaeffler's Motion Technology Company concept, where actuator technology converts energy into mechanical motion and combines with AI capabilities to facilitate humanoid robot breakthroughs.
The platform includes rotary actuators for key joints like shoulders, elbows, and knees, enabling natural movement sequences through precise rotational movements. Based on highly efficient electric motors with integrated power electronics and high-precision encoders, it can be configured with planetary or strain wave gears. An innovative architecture integrating the bearing into the rotor reduces the installation footprint by around 20 percent and weight by up to 500 grams, resulting in a design up to 10 mm more compact than alternatives 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 humanoid robot drive systems. The company relies on 12 core manufacturing technologies, including highly automated winding for coils and chipless metal forming for thin bearing rings, enabling fast production ramp-up through integrated development, production, and supply chain processes.
Schaeffler will display the actuator platform and other innovative components at Hannover Messe from April 20 to 24. More information is available at https://www.schaeffler.com/en/news_media/press_releases/press_releases_detail.jsp?id=86193310.