n NEWS June 2026 www.drivesncontrols.com 10 SCHAEFFLER HAS SIGNED an agreement with the UK robotics and AI developer, Humanoid, to supply it with a “seven-digit” number of actuators for the joints of its wheeled humanoid robots in the period to 2031. The figure suggests that London-based Humanoid expects to sell at least 50,000 of its robots over the coming five years – assuming there are around 20 actuators per robot. Schaeffler will become Humanoid’s “preferred” actuator supplier covering “more than 50%” of its needs – so the actual number of robots that Humanoid expects to sell could be much higher. Humanoid’s founder and CEO, Artem Sokolov, said recently that the company has pre-orders for around 34,000 robots, with deliveries planned for the coming three years. These orders could generate about $2.4bn in annual recurring revenue. He also revealed that that he is targeting an IPO (initial public offering) for the business, probably in the US, in 2029 or 2030. Meanwhile, Schaeffler’s CEO, Klaus Rosenfeld, told Reuters recently that he expects to secure orders worth “hundreds of millions euros” from the humanoid robotics industry by 2030. The company’s products – including actuators, bearings and strainwave gears – represent about half of the component costs of a humanoid robot, and Schaeffler expects to capture about 10% of this market by 2030. It is already working with around 45 humanoid robot manufacturers globally, discussing orders and jointly developing products. Schaeffler’s phased supply-and-deployment agreement with Humanoid also covers plans to deploy “a four-digit number” of Humanoid’s wheeled machines in Schaeffler’s manufacturing plants around the world by 2032. The initial deployment phase, running from December 2026 to June 2027, will take place at two Schaeffler sites in Germany. The agreement is based on a Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) model under which Humanoid will supply Schaeffler-Humanoid deal could deliver more than 50,000 robots in five years THE ITALIAN INDUSTRIAL automation and robotics specialist Comau has signed a collaboration agreement with Omron Robotics aimed at accelerating the adoption and deployment of advanced industrial automation systems by manufacturers worldwide. The collaboration will focus on high-growth sectors such as electronics, semiconductors and industrial intralogistics – markets are seeing strong demand for flexible, easily deployable automation. Comau’s partnership with Omron will combine the two companies’ complementary robotics, control and software technologies to deliver flexible, scalable automation systems. Omron and Comau say that their partnership is a response to growing demands for scalable and adaptable automation systems that integrate into existing production lines as well as nextgeneration manufacturing environments. “Omron is an ideal partner, sharing our vision of open innovation and customercentric value creation,” says Comau CEO, Pietro Gorlier. By combining Comau’s robotics expertise with Omron’s complementary technologies and software capabilities, we enable the delivery of solutions that are easier to deploy, highly adaptable, and future-ready.” “We are bringing together two complementary portfolios,”adds Omron Robotics’CEO, Olivier Welker. “By aligning our expertise in robotics, applications, advanced control and intelligent automation technologies, we can help manufacturers respond faster to changing market demands.” Comau has also announced a collaboration with the global technology giant Aptiv to explore next-generation intelligent automation systems. They will evaluate joint developments in areas such as robotics, autonomous systems, and automated warehouse and logistics systems. Comau and Aptiv (which grew out of GM’s Delphi Automotive Systems) want to develop technologies for safer, smarter, and more cost-effective automation. The collaboration will combine Aptiv’s portfolio, including its Wind River edge platforms and Pulse sensor and interconnect systems, with Comau’s expertise in robotics, and automation. Schaeffler with robotic systems and related services for end-to-end deployment and operation, including connections to fleet management software, maintenance and performance management. Humanoid, founded by Sokolov in 2024, aims to become the world’s leading supplier of general-purpose industrial humanoid robotics within two years. It currently employs more than 200 engineers, researchers and innovators at its London headquarters and at offices in Boston and Vancouver. “Together with Schaeffler, one of our key industrial partners, we are taking an important step toward making humanoid robotics part of global manufacturing operations,” says Sokolov. “We have already seen strong results from our proof-of-concept together, and now we are taking the next step to staged deployment. Moving into real-world operations is where the true value of humanoid robots is proven.” Schaeffler intends to deploy more than 1,000 of Humanoid’s robots in its plants worldwide by 2032 Comau collaborates with Omron and Aptiv on advanced automation
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=