Welcome aboard Robo
Digit is 1.75 meters (5.74 feet) tall and weighs a little less than 65 kilograms (143 lbs.). A slim, athletic fellow. That’s good because Digit has a strenuous piecework job: since the beginning of 2025, Digit has been loading and unloading a washing machine at Schaeffler’s American plant in Cheraw (South Carolina). The job is a no-brainer that Digit does without grumbling – until his battery is empty because Digit is a robot – a robot with two arms and two legs.
With his physique and humanoid movements, Digit is less reminiscent of a cold robot but more of a partner on the factory floor that at the push of a button is willing to handle unpleasant, strenuous, or even hazardous tasks to make life easier for human team members and to counteract the growing labor shortage. Equipped with microphones and a variety of sensors including cameras and LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology, he can autonomously navigate complex environments, automatically recognize obstacles, and stand still in a stable position on varying surfaces. Those are ideal capabilities for deploying Digit in busy working areas like logistic centers.
Developed and produced by Agility Robotics – an American company and one of the big players in the robo business – Digit may be one of the first humanoid robots in the world to have been allowed to work in a factory hall in a permanent, commercially-based setting. In addition to the pilot project with motion technology company Schaeffler, Digit is used by logistic services providers Amazon and GXO Logistics under a Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) agreement – i.e., a manufacturer-supported leasing agreement.
The market for Humanoids is on the brink of major expansion
Schaeffler is not only a customer of Agility Robotics but has also acquired a minority stake in the robotics startup in the U.S. state of Oregon. In addition to an investment in Agility Robotics, Schaeffler has entered into an agreement with the robo startup based in the U.S. state of Oregon to deploy humanoid robots in all of Schaeffler’s global manufacturing locations. “Humanoids can make key contributions to the successful automation of existing production facilities,” says Sebastian Jonas, who leads Advanced Production Technology at Schaeffler.
“By 2030, we’re planning to deploy a significant number of humanoids in our global network of 100 plants.”
The topic of humanoids basically rests on three pillars at Schaeffler. On the one hand, Schaeffler wants to let humanoids work in its factories. Moreover, as a supplier, Schaeffler sells components and systems to producers of humanoids. In addition to that, Schaeffler is ready to act as a partner in production scaling, i.e., Schaeffler’s fully owned Special Machinery subsidiary builds production lines for manufacturing components for robots including humanoids and acts as an integrator of humanoids on the factory floor – both internally and externally. This triad consisting of user, integrator, and supplier provides Schaeffler with an extensive understanding of technologies in this field and a unique selling proposition (USP) in the industry.
David Kehr, who leads the humanoid division within the Schaeffler Group, is responsible for the business field as a supplier. “Our goal is to generate value for Schaeffler by developing and manufacturing products and systems for the global humanoid market,” Kehr says, mentioning huge growth potential.
Countless experts agree that the market for humanoid robots is on the brink of a massive expansion. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, the world leader in the field of AI computing, even predicts that humanoid robots will become as common as cars.
AI brains for humanoids
In the future, Machine Learning and Deep Learning are supposed to enable robots to learn from their experiences in working together with human colleagues and to continuously improve their skills to perform increasingly complex tasks. That’s important because in many areas manufacturing processes are variable requiring high levels of flexibility.
“Artificial intelligence systems are the key to unlocking the full potential of humanoids.”
Sebastion Jonas, Senior Vice President Advanced Production Technology
Going forward, machines will increasingly be able to make independent decisions by perceiving their environment. However, the great potential of robotic assistants will not lead to machines replacing humans.
Sebastian Jonas in the Advanced Production Technology unit at Schaeffler works on the planned deployment of humanoids in the plants around the globe. He says, “In terms of productivity, AI helps detect and analyze unforeseen situations and to respond accordingly. That’s a turning point because that used to be impossible with traditional automation like industrial robots. In addition, AI reduces the implementation effort because the humanoids are trained based on AI algorithms instead of being programmed on the basis of specific parameters.”
“As a technology partner across all areas of motion, Schaeffler is in an ideal position to revolutionize industry with its innovations for humanoids."
A wide variety of challenges
Despite all the euphoria about the bright future of humanoids there are obstacles as well. David Kehr outlines the growing portfolio of tasks, “Although significant progress has been made in the motion technology of humanoids, there are some challenges remaining. One of the major ones will be to increase the production capacity for the entire humanoid-specific hardware.” Otherwise, Morgan Stanley’s forecast of 63 million humanoid robots by 2050 in the United States alone would tend to be unrealistic.
Excluding the hand, a humanoid, says Kehr, will contain around 28 actuators – in other words the locomotor systems enabling robots to move like humans. Including the hands, there would be around ten to 20 more actuators per side. “So, while the number of humanoids in the market may have a slow ramp-up, we need to multiply those volumes by 28 to get to the numbers of actuators needed. Today’s low-volume, high-price precision actuators like those being used in industrial robots, for example, will not be economically viable at the high volumes predicted for humanoids,” says Kehr, emphasizing that “Schaeffler is in a great position to support humanoid customers with the ramp-up of components and subsystems based on our years of experience in the automotive and industrial sectors.” Schaeffler, with its deep vertical integration and tooling knowledge, could achieve cost benefits in terms of scaling. Switching from machining to forming components is a case in point. “In addition, we’re working on micro-actuators for the hands,” says Kehr. “Here, we’re talking about outer diameters of two to three millimeters (0.08 to 0.1 inches). This calls for new manufacturing and tooling technologies that Schaeffler is already developing.”
“A second major challenge is the need for co-development because the exact requirements for humanoid products are not always known, even by the humanoid manufacturers. Therefore, suppliers like Schaeffler and the humanoid customers must work together to find the best solution that meets the application requirements and can be produced at higher volumes efficiently,” explains Kehr.
Battery technology and safety in top spots of the agenda
Battery technology and especially charging speed must be part of the focus, adds Schaeffler’s expert Sebastian Jonas, explain that “The most important part of a battery for humanoids is its fast-charging capacity. Unlike an electric vehicle that is parked most of the time and can be charged then, a humanoid, ideally, should work 24/7, i.e., around the clock. While the humanoid is being charged it makes no money. Consequently, the ratio between charging time and operating time is tremendously important. Concepts have also been developed to completely defuse the topic of charging times by using changeable batteries.”
“The most important part of a battery for humanoids is its fast-charging capacity.”
Sebastian Jonas, Senior Vice President Advanced Production Technology
In addition, the aspect of safety plays a crucial part in the scaling of humanoids that can unlock their full potential only when being freely usable in the production environment without physical safety barriers. “Safe collaboration with humans is an extremely complex task that’s comparable to autonomous driving despite the structured processes on the factory floor. It requires norms and safety standards that don’t exist yet, plus humanoids themselves must have certified functional safety systems,” says Sebastian Jonas.
Prices for humanoids vary
Currently, the purchasing costs for humanoid robots are still higher than for other industrial robots and cobots. Management consultancy Horváth expects average costs of approximately 80,000 euros per unit, plus around 4,000 euros of servicing and maintenance costs per year. Due to mass production, the average purchasing price is supposed to drop to about 48,000 euros by 2030.
“For industry, the costs are supposed to amount to around 40,000 to 50,000 U.S. dollars to enable large-scale economical use. Prices may vary in regions like Asia-Pacific and China. Generally, it’s important that the criteria for a return on capital are met,” says Schaeffler’s expert Sebastian Jonas.
Humanoid runs semi-marathon
In April 2025, Beijing will be hosting a semi-marathon in which humanoid robots together with some 12,000 human runners are supposed to complete the 21-kilometer (13-mile) distance. More than 20 companies are going to field their two-legged running robots in the race. The machines must be between 0.5 and 2 meters (16 to 6 feet) tall and have a leg length of at least 45 centimeters (18 inches). Both remote-controlled and autonomous robots are admitted. Participation in the race poses considerable technical challenges for the robots especially in terms of energy supply over the whole distance.
When will humanoids manage the leap from the factory floor to the living room?
In addition to industry, a key driver of the demand for humanoid robots could be the demographic development in many industrial countries. In the United States, the so-called dependency ratio – the ratio of people 70+ and the working population – will increase to 25 percent by 2030, which means that there will be 25 senior citizens per 100 people in employment. In Japan, the ratio will even be 50 percent, in Europe it will be 35 percent and in China, by 2040, 40 percent. Consequently, the requirement for support in the field of seniors’ care is going to massively increase worldwide as a result of which humanoid robots become an essential solution for the caregiving sector.
“Due to the technological evolution, the maturity level of humanoid robots by 2030 will have advanced to where they surpass human abilities in terms of motion speed, flexibility, and fine motor skills.”
Tobias Bock, Senior Project Manager at management consultancy Horváth
Therefore, it’s particularly important for robots in the service and care sectors to have human-like features to increase their acceptance. “Certainly, robots placed in hospitals, homes, and schools will be preferred to have some friendly and familiar features, like blinking eyes or smiling faces, with gentle features such as tapered fingers or keeping the humanoid height at a less threatening 1.70 meters (5 feet).”
The situation in an industrial setting is different. “Here, maximizing a human-like look is simply not necessary and could be counter-productive. It appears either frightening or inspires too much confidence, which may impair safety,” emphasizes Sebastian Jonas.
Conclusion: humanoids are going to be an integral element on the factory floor
Humanoid robots have the potential to fundamentally change the manufacturing industry. Sebastian Jonas can fully agree with that, “humanoids will be an integral component of autonomous production. Humanoids are going to take over demanding tasks, complex assembly jobs, quality inspections, and material handling processes. With their capacity to continuously work in 24/7 operations, humanoid robots can keep production running around the clock and increase output without the need for changing shifts. I can also imagine that humanoid robots gather and analyze data from production processes in real time, so delivering valuable findings for optimizing workflow and resource allocation.”
