Schaeffler Targets Humanoid Robotics Supply Gap

(MENAFN- The Arabian Post)

Schaeffler Group has moved to strengthen Europe's position in humanoid robotics by unveiling what it describes as a production-ready universal actuator designed to be deployed across multiple robot joints, a step the company says could narrow the scale and cost advantages held by Chinese manufacturers.

The Frankfurt-based industrial and automotive supplier plans to present the new planetary gear actuator at CES 2026 in Las Vegas early next year, positioning it as a standardised building block for humanoid robots. The component is intended to power key joints such as shoulders, elbows, hips and knees, enabling robot makers to use a common hardware architecture rather than sourcing bespoke actuators for each limb.

Andreas Schick, the company's chief operating officer, said the actuator marked a strategic push into a market that is moving from experimental deployments to industrial scale. He described the system as a“production-ready key product” that would allow humanoid robots to become“more capable and powerful” while also supporting faster manufacturing ramp-ups.

The launch comes as competition intensifies between Western suppliers and manufacturers in China, where humanoid robotics has become a national industrial priority. Chinese firms have benefited from early standardisation of components and the dense electronics and manufacturing ecosystem centred around Shenzhen. Industry analysts tracking the sector say that production targets initially set at around 10,000 humanoid units by the end of 2025 have been surpassed, with output now believed to be well above that figure as pilot factories move into continuous operation.

By contrast, Western robotics developers have faced a fragmented supply chain, often relying on small-batch components or custom designs that raise costs and slow iteration. Schaeffler's strategy seeks to address this imbalance by offering a single actuator platform that can be configured for different torque requirements without altering the underlying architecture.

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According to technical details released by the company, the actuator integrates a two-stage planetary gearbox, electric motor, encoder and controller into a compact module engineered for continuous duty cycles. Torque output ranges from 60 to 250 newton metres, a span that covers both load-bearing joints and more dexterous applications in a typical full-size humanoid robot. Rather than promoting a one-size-fits-all device, Schaeffler says the design allows manufacturers to select from multiple torque classes while maintaining common interfaces, software and assembly processes.

The economic implications are significant. A humanoid robot generally requires between 25 and 30 actuators, making joint hardware one of the largest contributors to overall system cost. Even incremental reductions in per-unit pricing can translate into savings of several thousand dollars per robot, a factor that becomes decisive as production volumes rise. Standardisation also simplifies maintenance and spare-parts logistics, an issue that has emerged as humanoid robots begin to operate in warehouses, factories and public-facing environments for extended periods.

Schaeffler's entry into the field builds on decades of experience supplying bearings, gears and motion systems to automotive and industrial customers, sectors that have undergone their own transitions towards electrification and modular platforms. Executives argue that lessons learned from electric vehicle drivetrains and automated manufacturing lines are directly applicable to humanoid robotics, particularly in areas such as durability, thermal management and precision control.

The broader market context suggests momentum is accelerating. Technology groups and automakers in Europe, North America and East Asia are investing heavily in humanoid research, seeing potential applications in logistics, elder care, hazardous-environment work and service industries. However, many developers remain constrained by the lack of mature, mass-produced hardware components comparable to those available in the automotive supply chain.

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