Humanoid to Deploy 1,000–2,000 Robots at Schaeffler by 2032

British robotics firm Humanoid will supply 1,000 to 2,000 wheeled humanoid robots to German supplier Schaeffler for use at Schaeffler’s manufacturing sites worldwide by 2032. The first deployments are scheduled between December 2026 and June 2027 at two German locations: box handling in Herzogenaurach and near–full-scale factory testing in Schweinfurt.

Under the supply agreement Humanoid will manage integration of the robots into Schaeffler’s existing production lines. The companies did not disclose the contract value. The arrangement follows a technology partnership the firms announced earlier this year.

Schaeffler is designated Humanoid’s preferred supplier for joint actuators through 2031. Humanoid CEO Artem Sokolov said the arrangement is expected to cover more than half of Humanoid’s actuator demand and to supply at least 1 million actuators over the period.

Humanoid described the initial platforms as wheeled humanoid systems. Early tasks will focus on repetitive physical work such as moving boxes. The company will support systems integration on the factory floor and refine robot performance in live production before broader rollouts.

Other companies are collecting human motion data to train robots for dexterous tasks. South Korean startup RLWRLD records workers with body cameras and supplements footage with demonstrations using cameras, VR headsets and motion-tracking gloves to convert movements into machine-readable data. Song Hyun-ji of RLWRLD’s robotics team noted, “Our data captures details like joint angles and the level of force applied during a task.”

Engineers use those data to train robots and to guide systems operated by human controllers. Demonstrations have shown wheeled robots moving cups and humanoids opening and packing boxes and placing them on conveyor belts.

Major manufacturers have set similar schedules. Hyundai plans to introduce humanoid robots at its factories beginning with a plant in Georgia in 2028. Samsung has said it aims to convert its manufacturing sites into AI-driven factories by 2030, including humanoid and task-specific robots.

Labor groups have urged employers and governments to consult workers on AI adoption. Kim Seok, policy director at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, warned that increased robot use could affect jobs and weaken the pipeline for skilled labor.

Hospitality companies are testing robots for support roles. One hotel reported that current humanoid systems require several hours to clean a room that a human finishes in about 40 minutes but expects some cleaning and support tasks to be handled by robots around 2029. A worker who participated in demonstrations estimated humanoids might take on about 30% to 40% of back-of-house event preparation while guest-facing tasks remain hard to automate.

Schaeffler and Humanoid stated that the early German trials will inform technical and operational adjustments before extending deployments to other manufacturing sites.