Schaeffler will mass-produce humanoid-robot gearboxes from 2027

Schaeffler said on 21 August 2026 that it will mass-produce the strain-wave gearboxes humanoid robots depend on starting in 2027, using a forming process it says makes the parts manufacturable at volume rather than machined a few at a time.

What it means Humanoid programmes are gated on actuator supply rather than on demos, so a tier-one supplier committing to volume is the real constraint moving.