Schaeffler details AEON humanoid training ahead of planned factory rollout

Date: 2026-10-15
Type: ARTICLE
Topics: Aeon, Germany, Hexagon Robotics, Humanoid Deployment, Industrial Automation, Robot Training
Deck: Schaeffler's Erlangen Humanoid Gym is preparing Hexagon's AEON for manufacturing tasks as the group expands its robotics component business.
URL: https://korthosrobotics.com/research/hexagon-schaeffler-aeon-humanoid-gym-training-case-study-oct2026
Referenced profiles: Schaeffler AG (https://korthosrobotics.com/ecosystem/company/schaeffler); Hexagon (https://korthosrobotics.com/ecosystem/company/hexagon-ab)

Image: Hexagon Robotics
Schaeffler is training Hexagon Robotics' AEON humanoid at its Humanoid Gym in Erlangen, Germany, where production teams test robot behaviours against representative manufacturing scenarios before introducing them to live factory operations. A 15 October case study describes how Schaeffler staff practise integrating and supervising the platform while giving Hexagon engineers feedback on hardware, control and operating requirements. The facility is intended to produce a repeatable process for transferring capabilities across factory sites.
[Image: AEON training at Schaeffler’s Humanoid Gym. Image: Hexagon Robotics]
The train–validate–deploy programme introduced in August uses imitation learning and repeated task execution to develop and test robot policies before deploying them at operating workstations. It follows a 2025 Schaeffler pilot in which AEON used its wheeled base and manipulation system to load, unload and inspect parts across a multi-machine station. The companies' April plan envisaged additional applications, including automated inspection, reaching factories from late 2026.
Under its April agreement with Hexagon, Schaeffler plans to deploy at least 1,000 AEON robots across its worldwide factories by 2032 while supplying precision actuators for the platform. The arrangement is one part of Schaeffler's broader humanoid business, which includes component partnerships with NEURA Robotics and UK-based Humanoid. On 13 October, Schaeffler reported approximately €400 million in humanoid robotics orders on hand after adding two Greater China customers during the third quarter. It has not identified how much of that order book, if any, comes from the Hexagon relationship. The AEON rollout remains a deployment plan.