“Tethered to a safety harness as thick as a finger, Agile One strides slowly across the catwalk. Ten steps forward, a quick glance left, a quick glance right, a wave, a half-turn on its axis, and then it heads right back. At the world’s largest industrial trade fair in Hanover, the human-sized robot is demonstrating its capabilities—and they are extensive.
The audience applauds. The engineers are relieved. Everything is running like clockwork. The Chancellor has already visited the booth. "We’ve reached the next level," says Bettina Schön-Behanzin. She has big plans ahead. She serves on the executive board of Agile Robots SE, a company founded in Munich eight years ago. Originally a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the firm has since completed several multi-million-euro funding rounds and acquisitions. Today, it is considered one of Europe’s great hopes.
That hope seems well-founded, too. For while the US has surged to the global forefront of AI systems, China leads the field in robotics.
According to the International Federation of Robotics, around two million robots are currently operating in Chinese factories. A quarter of a million are added each year. That figure is not only higher than in any other country; it is also three times the number of new robots acquired annually across Europe.
Moving beyond traditional industrial robots—with their towering gripper arms—and the transport robots that roll ghost-like through factory halls, Chinese start-ups such as Unitree, Agibot, and Ubtech have injected new momentum into the development of humanoids. What began with Japan’s Honda Group and its Asimo robot is now dominated by China.
That is set to change.
Just in time for the trade fair, the National Academy of Science and Engineering (Acatech) has produced a "roadmap" for so-called Physical AI. For what previously emerged from a rather intangible "data cloud" as an AI system is now taking on physical form and color: in the emergence of self-controlling systems and humanoid robots—high-tech machines with brains and two legs. Europe’s industrial giants no longer want to lag behind their overseas competitors. They are gearing up and getting into shape. However, this requires a more flexible economic policy framework. Industry associations—specifically the VDMA (mechanical engineering) and ZVEI (electrical engineering)—have been calling for AI systems designed specifically for industrial use to be exempted from the EU’s strict "AI Act," allowing them to develop freely, just as they do for competitors in America and China.
In Hanover, Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) declared his intention to champion this very demand in Brussels. After all, companies and key research institutions alike view the EU’s regulations as a straitjacket—one that needs to be cast off.
Industrial giants like Siemens are already threatening to make major AI investments in Asia and the Americas rather than in Europe. Robot manufacturers like ABB have already sold off parts of their operations to Asia.
Peter Leibinger, President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), told the economic forum in Hanover that companies are practically suffocating under local bureaucracy. European rules—such as those governing AI systems—are just one of many alarming examples; developments are being stifled and blocked. This comes at the cost of competitiveness and prosperity. Things cannot go on like this.
Yet, artificial intelligence is opening a new chapter. "We are merging the physical and virtual worlds here," says Jan-Henning Fabian, a member of the Acatech "Industry 4.0" research advisory board and head of ABB’s research center in Germany. The groundwork has been laid, and the foundational technologies are underway. Now, "Physical AI" is entering the picture. This is no longer a mere gimmick; it represents the industrial work of tomorrow—and it can already be seen in the trade fair halls today.
SAP is showcasing with the machine manufacturer Uhlmann, a packaging machine capable of aligning and adjusting itself entirely without human intervention. SAP manager Matthias Deindl calls it a "dynamic system," noting that it demonstrates how industrial data can be utilized.
"Thanks to our strong industrial sector, we are sitting on a treasure trove of data in Germany. Here, we are showing how we can unlock it."
Beckhoff Automation is demonstrating how generative AI can be incorporated and integrated into industrial systems. "We work without code and without commands," says Fabian Bause. AI makes this possible. "The systems are no longer programmed; they operate autonomously. In this way, they identify problems on their own, difficulties and hurdles. They look for solutions independently. And they make decisions independently," he says.
"In my view, Physical AI is the key element in making autonomous factories a reality," says ABB manager Fabian. AI gives machines a type of intelligence that goes far beyond conventional automation. "They understand their environment. They can make their own decisions and react to the unexpected." AI meets robotics. Two topics, and many paths to the goal.
Jörg Hermes is taking a unique approach with SEW Eurodrive. The drive specialist from Bruchsal is a classic example of a German *Mittelstand* company: family-owned, 95 years old, with a global presence, 22,700 employees, and annual revenue of 4.5 billion euros.
"We want 'Robotics made in Europe'," says Hermes, the board member responsible for day-to-day operations. "We are working on open technology—on neutral robotics."
He and his team are developing a kind of robot operating system that allows machines to connect and communicate across existing system boundaries. "We aren't pursuing the humanoid robot path just yet," says Hermes. He speaks of fully automated production environments, digital twins, and conventional articulated-arm and transport robots.
Technically speaking, many of these machines are still isolated islands. Why? Because vendors supply them with proprietary control technologies. That has to change if everything is to be connected, communicate with everything else, and be understood by everyone, Hermes says. Digital data is the means to that end. In Hanover, he is demonstrating exactly what he means.
The spacious trade fair stand features numerous small production units and large robotic arms. At the center is what Hermes calls the "Mission Control Center." This is where data flows in and out—a data center in miniature. "We are building a control system with a Lego-like modular design." "A modular system that allows customers to assemble exactly what they need," says Hermes.
At the Munich-based start-up Agile Robots, they have transformed an industrial system into a humanoid machine. Thanks to specialized sensors and chips, it can not only hear, see, and walk a catwalk, but also navigate its surroundings and independently organize assigned tasks. "Agile One is capable of industrial manufacturing," says Schön-Behanzin—and demonstrates what that means.
At the trade fair booth, two Agile One robots sit at a workbench, performing tasks typically handled by trained workers. They assemble small devices, pass components and tools to one another, recognize what needs to be done, and react accordingly. "We currently have two thousand industrial solutions running with partners worldwide," says Bettina Schön-Behanzin—ranging from Apple to virtually all major automakers.
"This development is still in its infancy, and the entire industry is just getting started," she says. Hence the safety tether for the robot on the catwalk—*Germany's Next Topmodel* on a short leash? "Not quite," she says with a laugh. "It has more to do with the regulations here in the exhibition halls," Schön-Behanzin explains. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have been allowed to let the robot walk." [2]
1. Are robots of SEW Eurodrive open source?
No, SEW-Eurodrive’s commercial industrial robots and Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) are not open source. They are proprietary, industrial-grade systems built around their modular MOVI-C automation ecosystem.
While the core hardware and operating software remain closed-source, SEW-Eurodrive actively supports open communication standards to ensure interoperability:
• Open Interfaces: Their mobile robots and automated handling systems are compatible with standardized open protocols like the VDA 5050 interface, allowing their robots to be integrated into diverse, multi-brand fleets.
• Open Source Contributions: SEW maintains a SEW-Eurodrive GitHub Organization, but it is dedicated to research, datasets, and public libraries (such as their Multimodal AMR Dataset), rather than the underlying robot control firmware
2. Germany's next Topmodel: Auf der Industriemesse in Hannover wird in diesen Tagen die Industrie der Zukunft vorgestellt - und die hat es in sich. Europa muss sich sputen, wenn es den Abstand zu China und Amerika noch aufholen will. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung; Frankfurt. 21 Apr 2026: 22 Von Stephan Finsterbusch, Hannover
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