Schaeffler Commits to Thousands of Neura Humanoids in Deep Component and AI Partnership

German industrial supplier Schaeffler has announced a deep, multifaceted partnership with German cognitive robotics firm Neura Robotics, marking a significant step toward the large-scale industrialization of humanoid robots.

The "trailblazing technology partnership," announced November 4, 2025, goes far beyond a simple customer order. It establishes a two-way relationship where Schaeffler will become both a key customer for Neura and a critical component supplier.

As part of the deal, Schaeffler plans to integrate a "mid-four-digit number"—several thousand—of Neura's humanoid robots into its global production network by 2035.

Simultaneously, Schaeffler will leverage its "decades of product and industrialization expertise" to jointly develop and supply innovative actuators for Neura's robots. For Neura, this secures a "significant portion" of its requirement for compact, continuous-duty actuators, a critical bottleneck for scaling production.

This move to become a key component supplier aligns with Neura's recent efforts to build a robust global supply chain, which include establishing a €45 million subsidiary in Hangzhou, China , and a separate manufacturing partnership with Sona Comstar in India.

A Symbiotic Deal: Actuators and AI

The technical core of the partnership focuses on Schaeffler's expertise in planetary gear actuators. These components are essential for a humanoid's joints, such as shoulders, elbows, and knees, enabling precise rotational movements.

According to the announcement, Schaeffler's actuators are designed for high torque in continuous operation despite a compact and lightweight design, with torque ratings of up to 250 Nm. This, Schaeffler notes, would allow Neura's 4NE-1 humanoid to "carry even heavy loads" required in an industrial setting.

The collaboration also extends deep into AI development. Schaeffler will provide real-world application data from its production lines, which will be used to train Neura's AI models. This data will be fed into the "Neuraverse," an ecosystem Neura describes as a "global cognitive ecosystem for Physical AI".

The stated goal is to jointly develop new industrial skills for humanoids, with Neura's CEO, David Reger, emphasizing the creation of a "global ecosystem for Physical AI, built on an independent European data foundation."

Schaeffler's Growing Humanoid Roster

This major commitment to Neura solidifies Schaeffler's position as one of the most active industrial giants exploring humanoid robotics. The press release explicitly notes that Schaeffler is "collaborating with other renowned manufacturers," a multi-pronged strategy that has been evident for some time.

This latest deal follows several other humanoid pilot programs at the company:

• Humanoid: Schaeffler recently completed a successful proof-of-concept trial with UK-based startup Humanoid, using a pre-alpha robot for a bin-picking-task. That project is set to advance to a second phase using Humanoid's newer HMND 01 Alpha robot.
• Hexagon: In June, Schaeffler was named an industrial pilot partner for Swedish tech firm Hexagon's new AEON humanoid, which will be tested for tasks like machine tending and inspection.
• Simulation: Before any physical trials, Schaeffler had already been working with Accenture, NVIDIA, and Microsoft to build digital twins of its factories. These virtual environments were used to simulate and test scenarios involving robots from competitors like Agility Robotics (Digit) and Sanctuary AI (Phoenix).

While Schaeffler continues to test the waters with multiple platforms, this new partnership with Neura Robotics represents the deepest integration to date. By becoming both a key customer and a component supplier, Schaeffler is embedding itself directly into the humanoid supply chain, betting not just on the deployment of the technology but on its core development and industrial-scale production.