Schaeffler, a motion technology company, has been awarded the prestigious Hermes Award for its innovative actuator platform designed specifically for humanoid robots. The award, presented during the opening ceremony of Hannover Messe by Federal Minister Dorothee Bar and Chancellor Friedrich Merz, recognizes the platform's high level of innovation and significant industrial benefits. This year's award focused on the integration of mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence, areas where Schaeffler's platform excels.
The actuator platform addresses a critical bottleneck in humanoid robotics: actuators account for approximately 50% of the total cost of a humanoid robot. By developing a scalable, modular platform that integrates electric motors, power electronics, high-precision encoders, and either planetary or strain wave gears, Schaeffler aims to make humanoid robots economically viable for large-scale industrial deployment. The company plans to begin series production of components as early as this year, leveraging its decades of experience as an automotive and industrial supplier.
Key technical innovations include an architecture where the bearing is integrated into the rotor, reducing the installation footprint by around 20% and weight by up to 500 grams, resulting in a design that is up to 10 mm more compact than competing solutions. This compactness, combined with high continuous torque and flexible modularity, makes the platform suitable for joints such as shoulders, elbows, and knees, enabling natural movement sequences.
Schaeffler's CEO Klaus Rosenfeld emphasized that the award underscores the company's Motion Technology Company concept, highlighting actuator technology as a key enabler for humanoid robots when combined with AI. Family shareholder Georg F. W. Schaeffler noted that the company's 80-year history of innovation is now being applied to growth segments like humanoid robotics, setting new benchmarks in industrialization.
The Hermes Award jury, chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, selected Schaeffler from three nominees. The award is one of the highest honors in industrial innovation. Schaeffler will showcase the actuator platform and other components for humanoid robots and intralogistics at Booth E60 in Hall 13 at Hannover Messe from April 20 to 24. More information can be found at Schaeffler at the Hannover Messe 2026.
