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Hexagon Robotics’ Division and the motion technology company Schaeffler announced the expansion of their strategic partnership to accelerate the rollout of humanoid robots, AEON, across factories worldwide, following the successful completion of a joint pilot program in 2025.
Manufacturers are under growing pressure to increase flexibility, improve efficiency, and enhance sustainability. This partnership marks a significant step toward bringing humanoid robots into production environments, as Schaeffler plans to deploy at least 1,000 Hexagon Robotics humanoids across its global production system by 2032. Schaeffler will also provide its high-precision actuators to AEON, further strengthening the technological alignment between the two companies.
“We have developed a humanoid specifically for the industrial market, leveraging our core expertise in sensor fusion, spatial intelligence, and physical AI. We are delighted to see our humanoid AEON move into real-world production,” said Arnaud Robert, President of Hexagon Robotics. “Working with Schaeffler allows us to deliver demonstrable business value across various factory environments and scale our operations.”
During the pilot phase, AEON used its unique sensor suite and wheel-based locomotion to demonstrate high-precision manipulation capabilities in operating a multi-machine station to load, unload, and inspect parts, in real-world production environment. AEON was featured at both Schaeffler’s Global Production Forum 2025 and Schaeffler Partner Days 2026.
Building on the successful pilot, the companies will now move to deployment across multiple sites, with additional applications, such as automated part inspection, targeted for rollout starting at the end of 2026.
A key focus of the partnership is the generation and use of real-world production data to enable faster deployment of AEONs across new use cases and production settings.
Dr. Jochen Schröder, Chief Operating Officer at Schaeffler AG, says: "Our innovative actuator platform is the technology backbone for the next generation of humanoid robots. In other words, we are creating the foundation for making humanoid robotics fit for widespread use. The cooperation with Hexagon Robotics shows how Schaeffler combines hardware excellence with industrial application. Not only are we developing key components, we are also integrating robots from Hexagon systematically into our own plants with the clear aim of further boosting our competitiveness through the use of physical AI.”
Together, the two companies share a commitment to driving innovation in manufacturing and exploring next-generation autonomous solutions. For Hexagon Robotics, the partnership reinforces its mission to bring advanced robotics into real industrial use at scale. For Schaeffler, it represents a key step in progressing its vision of highly automated, data-driven production.

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