Humanoid, a UK robotics startup founded by Artem Sokolov in 2024, signed partnerships with two German Tier 1 industrial giants in 1 month - Schaeffler for actuator supply and as a customer (May 13), and Bosch for assembly (May 21).
Humanoid is making the anti-vertical-integration bet. Figure and Tesla are vertically integrated. They build their own actuators, own assembly and own manufacturing. Humanoid is staying asset-light on hardware, keeping the AI layer (KinetIQ), and outsourcing the two hardest industrial problems - precision actuators and high volume manufacturing.
Two German Tier-1s competing for the same BOM line. Humanoid sources actuators from Schaeffler (>50% through 2031), while signing with Bosch that also makes actuators. And the partnership announcement pointed out that future models could integrate Bosch’s actuators.
More details below.
Down the stack
Top news down the robotics value chain, from hardware, intelligence to deployment.
DeepRobotics IPO (May 18). DeepRobotics is the second Hangzhou embodied-intelligence company going public on the STAR board, filing to raise RMB2.5bn ($345mn). 79% of revenue comes from industry applications with quadrupeds in dangerous environment inspections, not humanoids. Applications include power grid, fire/police, and infrastructure. This is in contrast with Unitree’s 40% research, and 29% industrial revenue mix. Agibot is also pursuing listing.
Humanoid + Bosch partnership (May 21). Bosch will mass-produce Humanoid’s HMND 01 industrial robots for European deployment. There were no volume, values figures or timeline in the announcement. Bosch’s role extends beyond contract manufacturing to technical expertise [ very vague, any more concrete numbers ]
Humanoid ↔ Schaeffler binding deal (May 13). UK-based Humanoid (founder Artem Sokolov) signed a binding RaaS deployment plus a 5-year actuator supply agreement with Schaeffler. The deal included a four-digit fleet by 2032, seven-digit actuator units, with Schaeffler covering >50% of Humanoid’s wheeled-platform actuator demand through 2031. First deployments are scheduled at two German sties between December 2026 and June 2027.
August Robotics $30M Series B (May 21). Led by Big Pi Ventures, with Blackbird, Skip Capital, Tanarra, Future Family Office and GS Futures. August builds autonomous drilling robots developed with DeWalt for large construction projects and AI data centers, already deployed across the US and Europe.
JAL / Haneda humanoid deployment (May 13). Japan Airlines began a trial in May 2026 deploying two Unitree-based humanoid platforms at ~US$15,400 per unit, partnered with GMO AI & Robotics. Tasks: baggage loading, container transport, aircraft cabin cleaning. Framed as a three-year operational commitment, not a pilot.
Humanoids Summit Tokyo (May 28-29). 4th Humanoids Summit, first in Asia, organized by Modar Alaoui, founder and GP at ALM Ventures ($100mm embodied AI fund). Hiroshi Ishiguro (Osaka University) delivers the opening keynote with a live Geminoid demonstration.
Core Matter covers the full Physical AI stack, from hardware, intelligence to deployment. Where value accrues, which players are real, what press coverage is missing.
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