The award was presented by Dorothee Bär, Federal Minister for Research, Technology and Space, during the official opening of HANNOVER MESSE on April 19, 2026, in the presence of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

The award honors a platform for highly integrated actuators, designed especially for use in the articulation joints of humanoid robots. The platform includes high-efficiency servo electric motors with integrated power electronics and encoders, and can be configured with two-stage planetary gear units or shaft-mounted gear units, depending on the customer's requirements. Throughout the development of the actuators, the overriding objective was to achieve minimum installation space while delivering high continuous torque. The installation footprint has been reduced by approximately 20 percent compared to the latest solutions currently on the market. The copper fill factor in the frameless PSM machine was increased to ensure a low temperature level at high torques. The actuator platform significantly reduces system costs, thereby creating a key prerequisite for the rapid scaling of service robotics.

"My sincere congratulations to this year's award winners. As patron of the HERMES AWARD, I am delighted to help raise the visibility of cutting-edge innovations. The firms Schaeffler and BTRY demonstrate that Europe performs world-class research. With its innovative platform for highly integrated actuators, Schaeffler is enhancing robotics in Germany. The platform is a key component in helping robotics develop its vast potential in an excellent ecosystem that involves goods production and a strong industrial sector. We want to leverage such potential with our High-Tech Agenda Germany. At the same time, it is about technology made in Europe,” said Dorothee Bär.

"The use of robots and cobots in industrial and commercial applications is creating a rapidly growing market for the future," said Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hanselka. "In this context, systemic actuator platforms play a central role in the scaling of service robotics. The solution developed by Schaeffler is a key component of humanoid robotics. Thanks to its high force density in a compact space and its integrated concept, it will have a lasting impact on industrial value chains and is highly relevant for numerous additional areas of application. I am convinced this will secure the company a key role in the growing humanoid robotics market. On behalf of the entire jury: Congratulations to Schäffler on winning the 2026 HERMES AWARD!"

HERMES AWARD

For more than 20 years, Deutsche Messe AG has presented the HERMES AWARD annually to a company at HANNOVER MESSE. The prize is recognized as the world's most important industrial innovation award. It honors a product or solution of outstanding technological innovation, with market readiness serving as a key criterion.