MUNICH- According to the 2026 automatica Trend Index, a sizable majority of German business executives see humanoid robots as a main force behind automation innovation in the future. 100 German executives and experts in charge of robotics and automation choices within their companies participated in the poll, which was commissioned by automatica.
According to the results, 82% of respondents think Germany should increase funding for the development of humanoid robotics, which is comparable to China’s aggressive national approach. Through organized policy frameworks, China has continuously given robotics top priority. Its most recent five-year plan places smart robots at the center of development. In order to open up new commercial and industrial applications, the focus includes developing “embodied intelligence,” which combines artificial intelligence with actual robotic systems.
According to 78% of decision-makers in Germany, robotics and artificial intelligence are crucial for preserving global competitiveness. Furthermore, 85% of respondents agree that humanoid robots are already used in industrial production. Large-scale adoption is still scarce, though, since 68% of businesses continue to run trial programs rather than complete installations.
Industry analysts stress that humanoid robotics, in which machines engage with real-world settings in human-like ways, is a concrete development of physical AI. Automatica 2027 is anticipated to have this developing field as a major subject.
Germany’s innovative manufacturing environment puts it in a strong position to lead in this field. According to the International Federation of Robotics, the nation has the third-highest robot density in the world, behind South Korea and Singapore, with 449 industrial robots per 10,000 workers.
