Humanoid and Bosh are collaborating on manufacturing and distribution of HMND in Europe. Supply: Humanoid
The race to develop commercially viable humanoid robots continues to immediate business partnerships. London-based Humanoid as we speak stated it’s working with Robert Bosch GmbH to scale manufacturing after the profitable completion of a joint proof of idea, or POC, in March 2026.
“For Humanoid, this settlement is a essential step in our roadmap, bridging the hole between POC validation and large-scale deployment,” acknowledged Artem Sokolov, founder and CEO of Humanoid. “Our objective has all the time been to shorten the trail between innovation and real-world integration, and this settlement displays that method.”
“Along with Bosch, as a powerful strategic manufacturing accomplice, we’re dedicated to bringing humanoid robots into industrial settings, scaling their deployment, and accelerating adoption throughout logistics, manufacturing, and past,” he added.
Based in 2024 as SKL Robotics Ltd., Humanoid has designed the HMND platform for industrial environments. The wheeled cell manipulator has a humanoid torso, head, and two arms and may adapt to a variety of duties in human-centric areas, stated the firm.
Editor’s notice: The 2026 Robotics Summit & Expo this month in Boston will embrace a keynote and classes on humanoid robots. Al Makke, head of humanoid robotics for North America at Schaeffler, will take part in a keynote on “The State of Humanoids.” Register now to attend.
Bosch POC demonstrates various field dealing with
Within the POC with Bosch, HMND 01 robots “demonstrated full functionality in a posh industrial workflow,” stated Humanoid. The methods autonomously transferred bins from a conveyor to a trolley in a Bosch intralogistics facility in Bühl, Germany.
The POC concerned dealing with 5 sizes of bins throughout a number of footprints, heights, and weights. The challenge’s targets included growing superior scanning and dealing with capabilities, managing inputs from a number of conveyors, and demonstrating adaptability in dynamic environments.
KinetIQ, Humanoid’s proprietary AI framework, orchestrated the POC, which the businesses stated confirmed each the technical readiness and scalability of the method.
HMND has undergone a profitable box-handling proof of idea at Bosch. Supply: Humanoid
Companions put together to provide HMND for European market
Humanoid and Bosch have agreed to fabricate and deploy HMND 01 robots for the European market. Humanoid added that it’s investing in “design for excellence” (DfX) — together with design for manufacturability, reliability, serviceability, and price — to ship long-term efficiency and financial worth for its prospects.
Gerlingen, Germany-based Bosch will function Humanoid’s contract manufacturing accomplice. It should present strategic oversight and technical experience via a structured DfX framework spanning {hardware} design, manufacturing, provide chain, and price optimization.
“This partnership is constructed on the shared perception within the nice potential of robotics in business. Bosch’s objective is to advance the scaling of humanoid robotics and to additional develop this subject of the longer term,” stated Peter Svejkovsky, head of company mental property at Bosch. “With our international manufacturing infrastructure and deep industrialization experience, we’re the proper accomplice to take the step from prototype to quantity manufacturing.”
The 2 corporations additionally plan to discover integrating Bosch parts akin to actuators, drives, and sensors into future variations of the HMND platform. Humanoid final month stated it’s working with Siemens.
Humanoid to roll out hundreds of robots with Schaeffler
Final week, Humanoid stated it has signed a binding, phased settlement with Schaeffler Applied sciences AG to combine its robots into stay manufacturing operations. The primary methods will go stay in Germany earlier than the tip of 2026.
Humanoid claimed that it is among the largest humanoid robotic rollouts disclosed thus far, positioning it as one of many youngest corporations to safe such a contract at this scale. The firm may even use Schaeffler as a most well-liked provider, overlaying greater than 50% of its demand for joint actuators via 2031. This partnership is predicted to translate right into a seven-digit variety of actuators.
Schaeffler and Humanoid first introduced their strategic partnership in January 2026 after profitable proofs of idea. The preliminary robotic deployments will run from December 2026 via June 2027 at two Schaeffler websites in Germany. In Herzogenaurach, the main target will stay on advancing field dealing with.
The operations in Schweinfurt will start with a three-month functionality demonstration and integration testing interval. After that can come a three-month on-site section to validate steady, steady operation approaching full manufacturing scale.
Underneath its robot-as-a-service (RaaS) mannequin, Humanoid will present methods and providers, together with connection to fleet administration software program, upkeep, 24/7 technical assist, updates, and ongoing efficiency administration.
Each Humanoid and Schaeffler plan to proceed assessing efficiency and develop to dexterous duties as meeting and packaging sooner or later.
HMND 01 working at a Schaeffler facility in Germany. Supply: Humanoid
Humanoid CEO discusses scaling plans
Sokolov replied to the next questions from The Robotic Report concerning the partnership.
Precisely what number of robots do Humanoid and Schaeffler plan to roll out at every stage?
Sokolov: Our settlement targets deployment of a four-digit variety of wheeled models throughout Schaeffler’s international services by 2032. The rollout follows the corporate’s product improvement and deployment phases, beginning with Beta in late 2026, then Gamma in 2027, and the mass-poduction model starting in 2028.
How intensive is the AI and robotic coaching required for the box-handling functions?
Sokolov: One of many benefits of our simulation-first method is the flexibility to considerably cut back the quantity of real-world coaching information required.
For instance, for such use instances as field dealing with or bin selecting, we sometimes require solely round one to 2 working days of real-world information assortment. This information is then mixed with large-scale simulation coaching to speed up deployment.
How autonomous are the methods?
Sokolov: For the primary section, beginning in late 2026, we’re concentrating on a 95% autonomous success fee and 99% with the fallback technique. Our finish objective is to extend the autonomy stage to 99.5% and past for subsequent phases.
Are the companions growing customized manipulators?
Sokolov: For sure industrial use instances, customized manipulators could also be developed along with companions relying on operational necessities. Nonetheless, the default end-effector system for HMND 01 Alpha is the three-finger gripper designed for general-purpose industrial functions.
For HMND 01 Alpha, the goal payload is 10 kg [22 lb.] whole payload capability, or 5 kg [11 lb.] per arm. For Beta and past, we’re concentrating on 20 kg [44 lb.] whole payload capability, equal to 10 kg per arm.
Why did Schaeffler select Humanoid to accomplice with out of all the businesses growing humanoid robots as we speak? Did it check others?
Sokolov: For Schaeffler, we’re a long-term know-how accomplice able to transferring shortly, adapting to actual industrial environments, and constructing for scalable deployment.
What differentiated Humanoid was the mixture of execution velocity, robust AI and software program capabilities, and a really sensible method to deployment. From the start, our focus was on fixing actual industrial use instances and integrating robots into current workflows.
Are you able to clarify how these wheeled bimanual manipulators serve Schaeffler‘s wants higher than cobots or industrial robots?
Sokolov: Wheeled humanoids present a way more versatile answer for contemporary industrial environments. They’ll transfer between workstations and function inside services already designed round human staff.
The world is already constructed for people. A humanoid kind lets robots function in current environments with out redesigning infrastructure — like for industrial robots, for instance. By staying near the human kind issue, we are able to use gear, instruments, services designed for people and simply swap between them. Many duties require human-level dexterity and manipulation for fine-motor actions.
Furthermore, human-like form helps simpler AI coaching, since most out there information is predicated on people.
Humanoid and Bosch technicians work on HMND 01. Supply: Humanoid
