Humanoid robots enter production as Schaeffler orders 2000 units
humanoid will deploy 1,000 to 2,000 robots at schaeffler factories by 2032, starting with box handling in germany by late 2026.
humanoid plans to deploy its wheeled humanoid robots at schaeffler manufacturing sites starting in late 2026, with a volume target of 2,000 units by 2032. the partnership includes a supply agreement for 1 million actuators, integrating physical ai into existing production lines for tasks like box handling. concurrently, south korean startup rlwrld is collecting extensive motion data from hotel and logistics workers to train robotic systems on fine motor skills. these deployments signal a shift toward commercializing physical ai in industrial settings, though labor groups have raised concerns about job displacement and the use of worker data.