HANOVER and HERZOGENAURACH, GERMANY - Schaeffler has received the globally renowned Hermes Award for its highly integrated actuator platform for humanoids. The award, presented during the official opening ceremony for Hannover Messe on April 19 by Dorothee Bar, Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space, in the presence of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz, recognizes outstanding products with high innovation and significant industry benefits. The independent jury, chaired by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Holger Hanselka, President of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, selected Schaeffler from three nominated companies, focusing on the integration of mechanical engineering and artificial intelligence.
The award-winning actuator platform integrates innovative technologies, efficient production processes, and extensive modularity specifically for humanoid robot joints. As actuators account for approximately 50% of total humanoid costs, they are pivotal for competitiveness. Schaeffler’s platform is poised to make humanoid robots ready 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. 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."
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 innovative, cost-effective solutions with excellent reliability and scalability. The close integration of development, production, and supply chain enables fast and flexible production ramp-up, relying on 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, configurable with two-stage planetary or strain wave gears depending on customer requirements. An innovative architecture integrating the bearing into the rotor reduces installation footprint by around 20% and weight by up to 500 grams, resulting in a design up to 10 mm more compact than other solutions 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 humanoid robot drive systems.
Schaeffler will display the actuator platform and other innovative key components at Booth E60 in Hall 13 from April 20 to 24. More information is available at Schaeffler at Hannover Messe 2026.
