Physical AI ‘space race’: can Europe compete with China and the US in humanoid robotics?

“You see China and the US … because of AI … typically they are considered the leaders, but do not count out Europe,” said David Kehr, president of Humanoid Robotics, a division of German firm Schaeffler Technologies.

Traditionally focused on automotive and industrial components, the Bavaria-based company entered the sector in January through a partnership with UK start-up Humanoid. Under the deal, Schaeffler supplies the actuators – mechanical joints and motors that power a robot’s movement – and plans to deploy the British firm’s AI models across its own factories.

Speaking on the main stage at Machina – an inaugural one-day summit held in Paris on Tuesday that positions itself as the continent’s leading event dedicated to the industry – Kehr identified safety standards and faster training speeds as the industry’s primary hurdles.

Europe could lead on global safety standards, he said, but cautioned that lawmakers must strike a careful balance. Regulation must not become so heavy that it “stifles” the continental humanoid and physical AI market, he warned.

The uphill battle facing European players was starkly reflected on the summit’s main stage, where most presenting companies were headquartered in the US. European firms, by contrast, made up only a small fraction of the speaker line-up.