The AI-controlled, human-like robot is more firmly established in industrial life than, for example, its Russian competitor “Aidol,” which recently had an accident in front of the assembled world press and was spontaneously and mockingly christened VodkaBot by the internet community.

“Agile One” is designed for use in industrial environments – as a flexible addition to existing systems and as a direct colleague to humans on the shop floor. It is based on AI that has been trained on industrial data and understands both machine states and human interaction.

Business model established in industry

Agile Robots, a company spun off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in 2018, aims to close the gap between AI and real-world production. In addition to the new humanoid, Agile Robots already offers robotic arms, highly sensitive hands, and autonomous transport systems. According to media reports, the company generated around €200 million in revenue in 2024 and now employs more than 2,500 people in Germany, China, and India – a clear signal that the business model is establishing itself in the industry.

Robots as a building block of an integrated automation solution

Agile Robots is strategically positioning itself as a provider of a networked production system in which robots, transport vehicles, and software continuously exchange data and learn from each other. The robot is less of a product and more of a building block of an integrated automation solution – from assembly and material flow to quality control. “The real added value for our industrial customers lies not in a single intelligent humanoid, but in a fully networked and intelligent production system,” explains Dr. Zhaopeng Chen, CEO and founder of Agile Robots. “We see Agile ONE as part of a perfectly coordinated automation solution, where each system is connected and learns from each other. This approach of applying physical AI to entire production systems enables our customers to achieve a whole new level of efficiency and quality.”

Trend toward supplementing classic industrial robots

With “Agile One,” the company is entering a field that is already seeing heavy international investment: humanoid robots designed to complement classic industrial robots where manual or difficult-to-automate tasks still dominate today. For example, Tesla with Optimus, Agility Robotics with Digit, and the US startup Figure AI, together with BMW, are developing humanoid systems that are expected to work in series production in the future.

This is what HORST does

The ecosystem is also growing in many places in Germany, for example with fruitcore robotics from Constance. With its HORST robots and an AI-supported, largely no-code platform, the Lake Constance-based company is focusing on easily integrable industrial robotics for small and medium-sized businesses. And igus from Cologne is also pursuing the goal of reducing programming, cost, and maintenance hurdles with its robotics products – a claim shared by Agile Robots with its user-friendly systems.

Three points relevant for users in industry

Three points are particularly relevant for users in industry: flexibility, time-to-value, and integration into the data landscape. Humanoid robots such as Agile One are flexible because they can potentially be used in existing workplaces without having to completely rethink the layout, racks, or tools. Time-to-value results from ready-made AI functions for pick-and-place, screwdriving, and assembly tasks – they determine whether a project becomes productive in weeks instead of months. Finally, integration into the data landscape is evident in a manufacturer such as Agile Robots, among other things, in that it is an anchor customer of the new Industrial AI Cloud in Munich and can thus use large amounts of production data for its own AI models – a decisive advantage for the continuous optimization of processes and products.

Production managers gain a competitive edge

For production managers, Agile Robots' latest announcement means above all that the competition for production-ready humanoid robots is entering a new phase, opening up new opportunities. Those who launch pilot projects with AI-supported robotics now are already gaining experience while the technology matures. Ideally, production managers will have a head start when humanoid systems actually become available in significant numbers from 2026 onwards.