Schaeffler, the Motion Technology Company, has been awarded the prestigious Hermes Award for its highly integrated actuator platform designed specifically for humanoid robots. The award was presented during the official opening ceremony of Hannover Messe on April 19 by Dorothee Bar, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space, in the presence of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz. An independent jury chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, selected Schaeffler from among three nominees, recognizing the platform's high level of innovation and significant benefits for industry.
The actuator platform integrates innovative technologies, efficient production processes, and extensive modularity, making it specifically engineered for the joints of humanoid robots. Since actuators account for approximately 50 percent of the total costs of humanoids, they are a critical factor in achieving competitiveness. Schaeffler's platform is poised to be instrumental in readying humanoid robots for large-scale industrial use.
Georg F. W. Schaeffler, family shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Schaeffler AG, stated: “We are very delighted to receive the prestigious Hermes Award and would like to thank the jury most sincerely. For 80 years, our company has been the embodiment of innovative strength and pioneering spirit, qualities that we apply consistently in both our core business and growth segments like humanoid robotics. With our highly integrated actuator platform, we are setting new benchmarks in this growth area by combining our decades-long technology expertise with our excellent track record in industrialization.”
Klaus Rosenfeld, CEO of Schaeffler AG, added: “Receiving the renowned Hermes Award is primarily an accolade for our engineers and product developers, but we also see in it an acknowledgement of the concept of the Motion Technology Company: There’s barely any other technology at Schaeffler that illustrates more effectively the immense potential behind this concept than actuator technology, which enables energy to be converted into mechanical motion. And especially when combined with the capabilities of AI, it is evident that this is a key technology for facilitating the breakthrough of humanoid robots.”
The demand for highly efficient actuators for humanoid joints is growing worldwide, and Schaeffler is set to begin series production of components as early as this year. The company leverages its decades of experience as an automotive and industrial supplier to offer cost-effective solutions with excellent reliability and scalability. The close integration of development, production, and supply chain enables a fast and flexible production ramp-up. Schaeffler relies on its 12 core manufacturing technologies, including highly automated winding technology for coils and chipless metal forming for roller bearing rings a mere 1 mm thick.
Schaeffler's actuator platform includes rotary actuators that deliver precise and powerful rotational movements in key joints like shoulders, elbows, and knees, enabling natural movement sequences. The platform is based on highly efficient electric motors with integrated power electronics and high-precision encoders, and can be configured flexibly with two-stage planetary or strain wave gears. Thanks to an innovative architecture where the bearing is integrated into the rotor, the installation footprint is reduced by around 20 percent and the weight by up to 500 grams. This results in a design that is up to 10 mm more compact 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 the drive systems of humanoid robots.
The actuator platform, along with other innovative key components for humanoid robots and industrial solutions for intralogistics, will be on display at Booth E60 in Hall 13 from April 20 to 24. More information about Schaeffler’s participation in Hannover Messe 2026 can be found at Schaeffler at the Hannover Messe 2026.
