Agile Robots Unveils ‘Agile ONE,’ Entering the High-Stakes Battle for Humanoid Dexterity

Munich, November 19, 2025 — The center of gravity for European robotics continues to shift toward Bavaria. Agile Robots, the Munich-based automation unicorn, has officially entered the humanoid fray with the launch of Agile ONE, a bipedal robot designed specifically for industrial environments.

The announcement adds significantly to the momentum of the German robotics sector, which has seen a flurry of activity in recent months. Agile ONE’s debut comes as domestic rival Neura Robotics negotiates a massive funding round and major industrial players like Schaeffler commit to deploying thousands of humanoids.

Designed for the Factory Floor

Unlike the general-purpose ambitions of some competitors, Agile ONE is being pitched with a tight focus on industrial utility. Standing 174 cm (5'8") tall and weighing 69 kg, the robot is engineered to work alongside human laborers in manufacturing and logistics.

According to specifications released by the company, the robot features a walking speed of 2.0 m/s—brisk for a bipedal machine—and a payload capacity of 20 kg. However, the company is banking on dexterity, not just lifting power, as its primary differentiator.

Agile Robots claims the machine is equipped with "the world's most dexterous robotic hand". The hands feature fingertip and force-torque sensors in every joint, allowing the robot to perform fine manipulation tasks that have traditionally stumped automation, such as delicate assembly or tool use.

The Great Dexterity Debate

Agile ONE's emphasis on "world-leading" hands places it directly in the crosshairs of one of the fiercest engineering debates in robotics: what is the optimal design for a humanoid hand?

While Agile Robots is pursuing a high-sensor, human-mimetic approach with torque sensors in every joint, competitors are taking radically different paths:

• Tesla is betting on extreme complexity. Elon Musk recently announced that the next-generation Optimus hand will feature 50 actuators—nearly triple the number in its previous prototype—to achieve "superhuman" precision capable of medical procedures.
• Boston Dynamics, conversely, has adopted a "good enough" philosophy for its electric Atlas. Their engineers opted for a three-fingered gripper (two fingers and a thumb), arguing that this simpler configuration offers higher reliability for heavy industrial lifting while still managing complex manipulation.
• Figure is focusing on sensory integration for mass production. The new Figure 03 integrates wide-angle cameras directly into the palms and uses custom tactile sensors capable of detecting forces as light as 3 grams, prioritizing safety and "soft" interaction for home and factory use.

The component market is equally divided. Wuji Tech is gaining traction with a robust "direct-drive" approach that places motors inside the fingers to eliminate tendon issues , while Sharpa Robotics is shipping hands with high-density "Dynamic Tactile Arrays" for near-human sensitivity.

By claiming "unmatched precision" and "fingertip sensors in every joint," Agile Robots is signaling that it intends to compete at the very top of this dexterity curve, challenging the most complex hands on the market.

"Physical AI" and the DLR Legacy

Agile ONE is marketed as an embodiment of "Physical AI"—a system capable of perceiving, understanding, and acting in the physical world. The robot’s AI models are trained on what the company describes as one of Europe’s largest real-world industrial datasets, supplemented by simulation and human-collected data.

The machine is not a standalone product but part of a broader ecosystem called AgileCore, designed to integrate seamlessly with the company’s existing robotic arms and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). "The real value for our industrial customers isn't just a stand-alone intelligent humanoid, but an entire intelligent production system," said Dr. Zhaopeng Chen, CEO and Founder of Agile Robots.

The technical pedigree behind Agile ONE is significant. Agile Robots was founded in 2018 by experts from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). This lineage places them in direct historical parallel with Neura Robotics, whose founder also hails from the DLR. The DLR’s influence is effectively turning southern Germany into a global hub for cognitive robotics.

"Made in Bavaria"

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the announcement is the manufacturing strategy. Agile Robots states that Agile ONE will be manufactured in-house at a new facility in Bavaria, with full production slated to begin in early 2026. By keeping production local and vertical, the company aims to maintain strict quality control over the hardware—a contrast to competitors who rely heavily on global supply chains.

As the "Physical AI" revolution promised by Dr. Chen begins to take shape, the question for 2026 will be which of these highly capable German platforms can most effectively transition from impressive prototypes to reliable, daily laborers on the factory floor.