Europe's own humanoid builders: what NEURA, Humanoid, Wandercraft and PAL have announced

Several European companies now build humanoid robots, and 2026 has brought concrete announcements. London-based Humanoid raised $152 million in July. Germany's NEURA Robotics presented the fourth generation of its 4NE1 humanoid in October. Paris-based Wandercraft says it has 12 customers for Calvin-40, and Barcelona's PAL Robotics continues to build research humanoids. Nearly every announced deployment is in factories or logistics, not at events.

This overview covers what each company has said publicly about its funding, products and customers, with the dates of the announcements. It does not rank the companies, and it treats production targets as plans until robots are delivered and working.

NEURA Robotics (Germany): 4NE1 and a broad product range

NEURA Robotics was founded in 2019 and is based in Metzingen, in south-west Germany. It is not a humanoid-only company: it also sells the MAiRA collaborative robot arm, and its humanoid line is called 4NE1.

The largest funding round NEURA has announced is a €120 million Series B, published on 15 January 2025 and led by Lingotto Investment Management. Other investors included BlueCrest Capital Management, the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, HV Capital and Delta Electronics, according to NEURA's Series B announcement. In the same release, NEURA stated an order book of €1 billion and a workforce of more than 300. It did not say how much of that order book relates to humanoids.

In November 2025, NEURA and the German industrial supplier Schaeffler announced a technology partnership. Schaeffler is to develop and supply actuators (the motor units that move a robot's joints) for humanoids, and it plans to integrate a "mid-four-digit" number of humanoids into its operations by 2035, as set out in NEURA's Schaeffler partnership release. The same release repeats NEURA's ambition to deliver five million cognitive and humanoid robots by 2030. That is a company goal, not a forecast from an independent source.

The newest product step came on 22 October 2026. NEURA and the Technical University of Munich opened a training facility of more than 2,300 square metres near Munich Airport, called RoboGym, where companies can teach robots real industrial tasks. At the opening, NEURA presented 4NE1 Gen 4. It describes the robot as 20% lighter than the previous generation, with a slimmer body and a textile outer skin, and says it is being prepared for series production, according to NEURA's RoboGym announcement. The release gives no height, weight, payload or price for the new generation.

Humanoid (United Kingdom): fast funding and an industrial deal

Humanoid, legally SKL Robotics Ltd, was founded in 2024 by Artem Sokolov and is headquartered in London. Its first products are the HMND 01 Alpha robots, in a wheeled version and a two-legged (bipedal) version, together with its own AI software, KinetIQ.

On 21 July 2026 the company announced a $152 million Series A led by Prime Movers Lab, at a stated post-money valuation of $1.35 billion. Schaeffler and Bosch were among the other investors, and the company put its total funding to date at $270 million, according to Humanoid's Series A announcement. Humanoid describes itself in that release as Europe's first pure-play humanoid robotics unicorn. That is the company's own description, and the term "pure-play" makes it hard to check against other firms.

The release says commercial deployments are to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026, with mass manufacturing focused on the wheeled robot.

The main customer news came earlier, on 13 May 2026. Humanoid announced an agreement with Schaeffler to deploy a "four-digit" number of wheeled robots by 2032. They would be provided as Robot-as-a-Service, meaning that Schaeffler pays for robots plus maintenance, support and fleet software rather than buying hardware outright. The first phase is planned from December 2026 to June 2027 at Schaeffler sites in Herzogenaurach and Schweinfurt, for box handling and packaging work, according to Humanoid's Schaeffler announcement. The release also makes clear that the robots' performance will be assessed before the deployment is extended.

Wandercraft (France): from exoskeletons to Calvin-40

Wandercraft is best known for self-balancing exoskeletons used in rehabilitation, and it has used that walking and balance expertise to develop an industrial humanoid called Calvin-40. The company's releases are datelined Paris and New York.

On 4 September 2026 Wandercraft said it had signed 12 customers for Calvin-40 across sectors including automotive, logistics, retail and healthcare. The largest named commitment is from Renault Group, which plans to deploy 350 of the robots over the following 18 months, according to Wandercraft's customer announcement. Wandercraft says Calvin-40 currently handles larger items such as boxes, tyres and panels, while picking and sorting are still in development. The release does not publish specifications such as height or payload.

PAL Robotics (Spain): research humanoids for laboratories

PAL Robotics has worked on humanoids far longer than the newer start-ups. The Barcelona company was founded in 2004 and lists its legged robots, TALOS and KANGAROO, alongside the TIAGo mobile manipulators and the StockBot inventory robot. In March 2026 its CEO and co-founder, Francesco Ferro, was confirmed as President of euRobotics, the European robotics association, according to PAL Robotics' announcement of the appointment. The same post notes that PAL has taken part in more than 60 collaborative research projects.

TALOS is a research platform rather than a commercial worker. PAL lists it at 1.75 metres and 95 kg, with a 6 kg payload per arm when fully extended and about 1.5 hours of walking on one battery charge, according to PAL's TALOS product page. Most of its joints have torque sensing, which lets researchers study how a robot pushes against and touches its surroundings. PAL sells it to universities and laboratories, not for factory fleets.

The common threads

Put side by side, the announcements share three patterns.

• Industry first. All of the deployments announced by NEURA, Humanoid and Wandercraft are in manufacturing or logistics. None of the four companies has announced a product for entertainment or events.
• The same industrial partners. Schaeffler has deals with both NEURA and Humanoid, as an actuator supplier and as a future user of their robots. Large European manufacturers are acting as customers, suppliers and, in Humanoid's case, investors at the same time.
• Wheels before legs. Humanoid has said its mass production will focus on the wheeled version, and its Schaeffler deal covers wheeled units. A wheeled base avoids many of the balance problems of walking robots on a factory floor.

For funding figures from outside Europe, see our overview of humanoid funding rounds in 2025 and 2026.

What is still unproven

Almost every figure above is a target, an order or a framework agreement, not a count of delivered robots. Schaeffler's plans with both companies stretch to 2032 and 2035, and the first Humanoid phase includes an assessment before it expands. NEURA's €1 billion order book was stated in January 2025 and has not been broken down by product in the releases reviewed here.

None of these companies has published independently audited shipment numbers. Our article on analyst counts of humanoid shipments explains why stated orders and actual deliveries often differ widely. Robots sold in the EU will also have to meet product-safety rules, including the new EU Machinery Regulation from 2027. That summary is general information, not legal advice.

What this means for event organisers

• Do not expect European humanoids at events yet. The robots described here are aimed at factories, and none of the four companies markets them for stage or booth work. The humanoids available for hire today are listed in our guide to which humanoid robots you can actually hire.
• Treat announced figures as plans. A deployment target for 2032 does not mean the robot can be booked next year. Ask suppliers about the hardware they actually have in stock.
• Research platforms are a different market. Robots such as TALOS are built for laboratories, and university or research events may borrow them through research partners rather than commercial hire.
• Watch late 2026 and 2027. Humanoid's first Schaeffler phase and Wandercraft's Renault rollout will be the first public tests of whether European humanoids work at scale.
• Compare what exists today. Our robot catalogue lists the models suppliers currently offer, and you can send one brief to several suppliers to see what is available for your date.

Frequently asked questions

Which European companies are building humanoid robots?

Companies that have announced humanoids include NEURA Robotics in Germany (4NE1), Humanoid in the United Kingdom (HMND 01 Alpha), Wandercraft in France (Calvin-40) and PAL Robotics in Spain (TALOS and KANGAROO). The first three target factory and logistics work, while PAL's humanoids are research platforms sold to universities and laboratories. This list covers the companies reviewed in this article and is not complete.

How much funding have European humanoid makers raised?

Humanoid announced a $152 million Series A in July 2026 at a stated post-money valuation of $1.35 billion, and put its total funding at $270 million. NEURA Robotics announced a €120 million Series B in January 2025. NEURA's round was not for humanoids alone, because the company also sells robot arms and other products. These figures are taken from the companies' own announcements.

Are European humanoid robots already working in factories?

Deployments are at an early stage. Humanoid plans a first phase at Schaeffler sites in Germany from December 2026 to June 2027, with a performance review before expansion. Renault Group plans to deploy 350 Wandercraft Calvin-40 robots over 18 months from September 2026. NEURA's partnership with Schaeffler targets 2035. None of the companies has published independently verified figures for delivered robots.

Can I hire a European-built humanoid robot for an event?

At present this is unlikely. NEURA, Humanoid and Wandercraft are focused on industrial customers, and PAL Robotics' TALOS and KANGAROO are research platforms. None of these companies has announced a product for events or entertainment. Event organisers usually hire humanoids from other manufacturers that suppliers already stock, so it is best to ask suppliers directly which models they can provide for your date.

How this article was made: written by the humanoid4rent editorial team with AI assistance; every factual statement was checked against the sources listed below on 2026-10-31. Spotted an error? Write to info@humanoid4rent.com.