Schaeffler to Mass-Produce Humanoid Robot Gearboxes by 2027

Schaeffler Technologies AG says it has completed extensive validation testing on a new generation of strain wave gearboxes built specifically for humanoid robots, and plans to begin mass manufacturing them in 2027, as reported by The Robot Report.

Strain wave gearboxes are core components inside robot actuators, which the Herzogenaurach, Germany-based company notes can account for roughly half the total manufacturing cost of a humanoid robot. The gearboxes allow precise motion transfer with high torque capacity and gear reduction ratios in compact packages, along with the accuracy and stiffness needed at humanoid joints.

"Schaeffler will take a leading role in the market for humanoid robots," said David Kehr, president of humanoid robotics at Schaeffler. He added that the company's automotive manufacturing background and firsthand deployment experience across its own global value chain give it insight into what the technology requires.

A forming process instead of machining

Most strain wave gearboxes today are produced through precision machining, a process that removes material to create high-precision gear geometries. Schaeffler argues this approach is slow and capital-intensive, and could become a bottleneck as humanoid robot production scales up.

Instead, Schaeffler's new gearboxes are made using a forming technology that presses components into their final geometric shape using high pressing forces, completing the process in seconds rather than minutes. The company says the formed gearboxes achieve torque and efficiency comparable to conventionally machined parts.

According to Schaeffler, the forming method cuts manufacturing costs by more than 25% and reduces material consumption by more than 75% compared to traditional machining. Production is planned to start in Germany before expanding to other regions.

Built on automotive experience

Schaeffler isn't new to strain wave gearbox manufacturing — the company, which has U.S. headquarters in Fort Mill, South Carolina, says it has supplied more than 2 million formed strain wave gearboxes to major markets worldwide over the past decade, primarily drawing on automotive industry applications. It now aims to apply that manufacturing know-how to the humanoid robotics sector as it works to position itself as a key components supplier for the emerging industry.