Motion technology company Schaeffler has been awarded the Hermes Award for its highly integrated actuator platform designed specifically for humanoid robots. The award, presented during the opening ceremony of Hannover Messe on April 19, recognizes outstanding innovation with significant industrial benefits. This year, the jury focused on the integration of mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence, chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft.
The actuator platform addresses a critical bottleneck in humanoid robotics: actuators account for about 50 percent of the total cost of a humanoid robot. By developing a scalable, modular platform, Schaeffler aims to make humanoids commercially viable for large-scale industrial use. The platform includes rotary actuators for joints such as shoulders, elbows, and knees, enabling natural movement. It integrates high-efficiency electric motors, power electronics, high-precision encoders, and flexible gearing options—either two-stage planetary or strain wave gears—depending on customer requirements.
A key innovation is the bearing integrated into the rotor, which reduces installation footprint by around 20 percent and weight by up to 500 grams per actuator. This results in a design that is up to 10 mm more compact than competing solutions while delivering high continuous torque. Schaeffler plans to begin series production of components as early as this year, leveraging its 12 core manufacturing technologies, including highly automated winding technology for coils and chipless metal forming for roller bearing rings as thin as 1 mm.
Georg F. W. Schaeffler, family shareholder and Chairman of the Supervisory Board, stated: “For 80 years, our company has been the embodiment of innovative strength and pioneering spirit. With our highly integrated actuator platform, we are setting new benchmarks in this growth area.” CEO Klaus Rosenfeld added: “There’s barely any other technology at Schaeffler that illustrates more effectively the immense potential behind the Motion Technology Company concept than actuator technology, which enables energy to be converted into mechanical motion.”
The award underscores Schaeffler’s role as a key component supplier in humanoid robotics. The company will showcase the actuator platform and other components at Hannover Messe from April 20 to 24 at Booth E60 in Hall 13. More information is available at Schaeffler at the Hannover Messe 2026.
