Humanoid robots: Hannover forum to examine industrial use in brownfield plants

Humanoid robots between hype and industrial reality: Hannover forum to assess use cases and economics

The Deep Dive Forum on October 27–28, 2026 will bring together users, researchers and suppliers to examine how humanoid systems fit into existing plants.

AI Newsroom 2 min readPublished on this site: 18 Oct 2026, 09:07Original publication: 05 Oct 2026, 00:00Updated: 22 Oct 2026, 10:35

Neutral illustration of an industrial production area with mobile robotic systems and workstations inside an existing factory

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Three key points

01The event is scheduled for October 27 and 28, 2026 in Pavilion 36 at the Hannover Exhibition Center.
02The agenda focuses on humanoid deployment in existing plants, from intralogistics and picking to assembly support, maintenance and inspection.
03Contributors listed include BMW, Schaeffler, DLR, Fraunhofer IEM, Siemens, KUKA, EF Robotics, Terra Robotics and FMC³ Robotics.

Why this matters · AI editorial analysis, not reported fact

For fabricators, machine shops and industrial buyers, the key issue is not demonstration value but fit with already installed production environments. Knowing where a humanoid can add value compared with conventional or mobile robotics affects capital allocation, integration effort and project risk.

Humanoid robotics remains one of the most discussed themes in automation, yet the practical factory question is narrower: can these systems justify the investment in plants that were not designed around them? That question is at the center of the Deep Dive Forum on Humanoid Robotics, organized by the Deutsche Messe Technology Academy on October 27 and 28, 2026 in Pavilion 36 at the Hannover Exhibition Center.

The forum is framed around industrial feasibility rather than broad future scenarios. Over two days, the program will examine which applications are already realistic, what conditions companies need to create internally, and how to avoid misdirected spending. The stated audience includes decision-makers in production, automation and digitalization.

A main focus is brownfield deployment in existing facilities. The underlying premise is that humanoid systems could operate in spaces originally built for people without requiring changes to layouts, shelving or workstations. The application areas named by the organizer range from intralogistics and order picking to assembly support, maintenance and inspection.

The speaker line-up reflects that practical angle. KUKA is set to address when humanoid robotics is a suitable choice and when traditional or mobile robotics remains the better option. The DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics will assess the current state of model-based and learning-based approaches in brownfield settings, while Fraunhofer IEM plans to discuss economic viability as system cost and performance continue to evolve.

The program also includes user-side feedback from industry. BMW is scheduled to share experience from its work on multi-purpose robotics, including challenges encountered and lessons learned. On the second day, Schaeffler will outline what existing production environments need in order to support deployment and how users and providers can move scaling forward together.

Parallel sessions will cover use cases, technology and engineering, factory integration, safety and regulation, as well as comparisons between humanoids and mobile cobots. The second day will also include practical sessions in which participants can view and compare systems from EF Robotics, Terra Robotics, KUKA and FMC³ Robotics, and discuss with experts whether humanoid robotics is an appropriate answer to specific production tasks.