Industrial robotics advances as Schaeffler partners with Hexagon and Schindler expands elevator robot fleet

Schaeffler, the Motion Technology Company, has signed a strategic technology alliance with Swiss firm Hexagon Robotics to develop and supply high‑precision rotary and planetary gear actuators for humanoid robots. The collaboration will see Hexagon’s AEON humanoid integrated into Schaeffler’s global production network, with a plan to deploy at least 1,000 humanoid robots over the next seven years to boost manufacturing efficiency. Schaeffler’s COO Jochen Schröder emphasized that the actuator platform will form the “technological backbone for the next generation of humanoid robots.”

Separately, elevator‑maker Schindler has added two new units to its Schindler R.I.S.E. (Robotic Installation System for Elevators), raising its worldwide fleet to seven robots. The system autonomously prepares elevator shafts, measures, drills and installs anchor bolts, cutting preparation and installation times by up to 40% and improving on‑site safety. Since its launch five years ago, R.I.S.E. has been used in 36 projects across Austria, Poland, India, the United Kingdom, Brazil, China and Singapore, installing roughly 50,000 anchor bolts. Schindler’s advanced installation technologies manager Faruk Osmanbasic noted growing global demand for safer, faster construction solutions.