Agile Robots SE
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Agile Robots SE (formerly Agile Robots AG) is a German robotics company headquartered in Munich, Germany, that builds AI-powered robots combining precise force-torque sensing with computer vision. Founded in 2018 as a spin-off of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, it became the first German robotics unicorn in 2021 after a 220 million dollar Series C led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and it employs more than 2,500 people across production sites in Germany, China, and India.[1][2][7]
The company is best known for its Diana series of force-sensitive collaborative robots (cobots) and the Agile One industrial humanoid robot unveiled in November 2025. Revenue reportedly doubled year-on-year since founding, reaching approximately 200 million euros in 2024, and the firm says it has deployed more than 20,000 robotic solutions worldwide. In March 2026 it formed a research partnership with Google DeepMind to bring Gemini Robotics foundation models to factory floors, and in June 2026 it was reported to be in talks to raise about 800 million dollars at a valuation that could exceed 5 billion dollars.[3][4][22][23]
What is Agile Robots?
Agile Robots is a physical AI and robotics company that pairs hardware (torque-controlled robot arms, mobile robots, and a humanoid) with an AI control stack trained on real industrial data. Its distinguishing approach is integrating joint torque sensors in every axis, so its robots can control contact force precisely (down to about 0.5 newton on the Diana 7) and work safely alongside people, rather than relying on position control and rigid safety cages. The company positions itself as a full-stack player spanning sensors, robot operating system, and foundation models, with a stated medium-term goal of exceeding one billion euros in annual revenue.[2][3][4]
Who founded Agile Robots?
Agile Robots was founded in 2018 by Dr. Zhaopeng Chen and Peter Meusel, both long-time researchers at the DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics. Chen had worked at DLR on robotic systems for space stations and missions, where he developed a widely acclaimed humanoid robotic hand that became the technical foundation for the spin-off. The founding team also included eight additional DLR experts with backgrounds in torque-controlled robotics, impedance control, and dexterous manipulation. They built the company to bridge artificial intelligence and robotics, targeting complex industrial and medical tasks that conventional automation could not handle reliably.[1][2]
Chen, who serves as co-founder and CEO, frames the company's mission around "physical AI," arguing that the next industrial revolution belongs to intelligent, autonomous, and flexible robots that can perceive, understand, and act in the physical world. "We want to build a co-worker that humans can trust and that people are comfortable to work around," he said at the Agile One launch.[14][15]
History
The first product, the Diana 7, was a seven-axis collaborative arm with torque sensors in every joint. It was designed for delicate assembly and was quickly deployed in Chinese consumer electronics plants to install components in smartphones, tablets, and PCs. Early growth in China was helped by a Beijing branch and partnerships with electronics manufacturers.[5][6]
In September 2021 Agile Robots closed a 220 million dollar Series C round led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2, with participation from Chimera Investments (Abu Dhabi Royal Group), Hillhouse, GL Ventures, Sequoia China, Linear Capital, Xiaomi Group, Foxconn Industrial Internet, and Midas. The round pushed the valuation above one billion dollars, making Agile Robots the first German robotics unicorn and SoftBank Vision Fund 2's first intelligent robotics investment in China.[7][8]
In 2022 the company opened its first German production plant in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria, on a 2,700 square meter site assembling the Yu 5 Industrial cobot. The site was planned to scale to 2,500 robots per year, with close communication between production and the Munich R&D team.[9]
Acquisitions accelerated from 2023. Agile Robots took a majority stake in BÄR Automation (custom assembly lines), integrated Franka Robotics (formerly Franka Emika), and made an initial investment in idealworks, a BMW Group spin-off building AMRs for intralogistics. Full ownership of idealworks was completed in September 2025.[10][11]
In 2024 production was established in Chennai, India, the Munich-Sendling laboratory was expanded to roughly 10,000 square meters, and German R&D spend exceeded 80 million euros that year.[12]
In March 2025 Agile Robots acquired a majority stake in audEERING, a Munich-area firm spun out of the Technical University of Munich in 2012 that specializes in AI voice analysis. The deal targeted better human-robot interaction and voice-driven programming.[13]
On November 19, 2025, the company unveiled Agile One, its first humanoid robot built for industrial use, with mass production planned in Bavaria from early 2026.[14][15] One week later, on November 26, 2025, Agile Robots announced the acquisition of large parts of thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering across Europe and North America, adding about 650 experts and ten locations. The acquired business reverted to its historic 1950 name, Krause Automation, operating as a subsidiary inside the Agile Robots Group; the deal closed on April 1, 2026.[16][17][22]
On February 4, 2026, an Agile One pressed the start button to switch on the Industrial AI Cloud, a Deutsche Telekom and NVIDIA project in Munich that Agile Robots had joined as an anchor customer. The 10,000 GPU facility, with combined investment around one billion euros, became one of the largest industrial AI factories in Europe.[18][19]
What does Agile Robots build?
Agile Robots offers four main product families: stationary cobots, mobile robots, humanoids, and the AgileCore control software that runs across all of them.
Diana series
The Diana 7 is the company's flagship collaborative arm and the product that established its reputation in force-sensitive manipulation.
| Specification | Diana 7 |
|---|---|
| Axes (degrees of freedom) | 7 |
| Payload | 7 kg |
| Reach | 923 mm |
| Repeatability | plus or minus 0.05 mm |
| Force control accuracy | 0.5 N |
| Torque sensors | All 7 axes |
| Base diameter | 190 mm |
| Weight | approximately 17 kg |
| Operating temperature | 0 to 50 degrees Celsius |
| Protection rating | IP54 |
The Diana 7 combines joint torque sensing with vision and impedance control. It is deployed in automotive and consumer electronics (3C) plants for high-precision assembly such as connector insertion, polishing, and screwing.[5][6]
Yu 5 Industrial
The Yu 5 Industrial is a vision-equipped cobot manufactured in Kaufbeuren since 2022, positioned as a price-competitive workhorse for small and medium manufacturers.
| Specification | Yu 5 Industrial |
|---|---|
| Payload | 5 kg (up to 7 kg at 850 mm reach) |
| Reach | up to 1,000 mm |
| Repeatability | plus or minus 0.05 mm |
| Vision | integrated camera with autonomous detection and grasping |
| Use cases | pick-and-place, machine tending, assembly, packaging |
The integrated camera lets the Yu 5 detect, approach, and grasp objects without external vision modules, reducing setup time on factory floors.[9][20]
Thor series
The Thor series targets heavier industrial duty cycles and is offered in four payload classes.
| Model | Payload | Reach | Typical applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thor 3 | 3 kg | smaller envelope | precision assembly, electronics |
| Thor 7 | 7 kg | medium reach | general purpose handling |
| Thor 12 | 12 kg | 1,300 mm | heavier assembly, machine tending |
| Thor 20 | 20 kg | up to 1,700 mm | palletizing, loading and unloading |
Thor robots share the AgileCore stack with Diana and Yu, letting customers mix sizes in one cell while reusing the same teach pendant and skills library.[20]
Mobile robotics and AGV / AMR
Through its idealworks and BÄR Automation subsidiaries, Agile Robots produces autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automated guided vehicles (AGVs) such as iw.hub for automotive intralogistics. The group also builds mobile manipulators that place a Diana 7 or Yu 5 arm on top of a mobile base. The jointly developed ConTrax Module One pairs a cobot with an AGV and a wireless charging station, letting the manipulator follow components through a plant.[10][20]
Agile One humanoid
The Agile One is a full-size bipedal humanoid built for industrial environments. It was unveiled on November 19, 2025, with series production planned to start in early 2026 at the company's Bavarian facility.
| Specification | Agile One |
|---|---|
| Hands | five-fingered, with embedded force-torque sensing and fingertip tactile sensing |
| Sensors | proximity sensors, rear-view camera, eye rings, chest display |
| Target applications | material handling, pick-and-place, machine tending, tool use, fine manipulation |
| AI architecture | three layers: strategic planning, dynamic action execution, low-level fine manipulation |
| Training data | teleoperation field data, physical simulation, video and image sources |
| Manufacturing | Bavaria, Germany; motors, actuators, and control systems designed in Germany |
| Production start | early 2026 |
CEO Zhaopeng Chen described the robot as able to "manipulate a tiny screw, operate a power tool, or touch a screen," with control split across layers. "The first layer is slow thinking, how to do things step by step, planning a task like a human," he explained. "The second, fast thinking, is for individual actions like grasping, opening a gate, or any dynamic situations," while a third layer handles high-frequency control of fine manipulation. Unlike many humanoid robots produced in Asia, Agile One is manufactured entirely in Germany.[14][15]
Chen has also pointed to the size of the opportunity, citing market research that puts the total addressable market for humanoids at between 1.2 trillion and 4 trillion dollars by 2035, against roughly 300 billion dollars for industrial automation.[15]
Agile Hand
The Agile Hand is Agile Robots' standalone five-finger dexterous hand, sold as a component for robot arms and humanoids rather than only as part of the Agile One. It reflects the founders' roots at DLR, where Zhaopeng Chen developed the torque-controlled humanoid hand that seeded the company.[1][25]
| Specification | Agile Hand |
|---|---|
| Fingers | 5 identical, modular |
| Degrees of freedom | 15 or 16 |
| Joints | 21 |
| Weight | 1.5 kg |
| Active fingertip force | 10 N |
| Joint velocity | up to 360 degrees per second |
| Sensing | joint torque and position sensors in every actuated joint |
| Control rate | 1 kHz proprietary finger-to-computer protocol |
| Mounting | fast-change adapter, ISO 9409-1-50-4-M6 flange |
| Programming | C++ and Python, with ROS support |
Each finger integrates its own actuators, electronics, multisensory feedback, and mechanical transmission, a modular design the company says simplifies manufacturing, maintenance, and reconfiguration. An active compliant control strategy based on joint torque and position feedback is intended for close and safe human-robot collaboration, in the same force-controlled tradition as the company's Diana cobots. As shown in its 2025 to 2026 product listings, the Agile Hand was presented as a showcased product that was not yet available for general purchase.[25][26]
AgileCore software
AgileCore is the robot operating system and skills platform, used across cobots, mobile robots, and the Agile One humanoid. It exposes a common programming interface, lets users move skills between robots, and connects to the foundation model trained on the Industrial AI Cloud. Voice-driven programming uses audEERING acoustic analysis to interpret operator commands.[13][18]
Technology
Core technology derives from decades of DLR research in force-sensitive robotics. Key technical capabilities:
- Force-torque sensing. Integrated torque sensors in every joint enable precise force control for delicate assembly and safe contact with humans and workpieces.
- Impedance control. Compliant motion control lets the arm follow contours, mate connectors, and react to unexpected contact instead of stopping or crashing.
- AI-powered control. Machine learning models running on AgileCore allow robots to adapt to part variation, drift, and new tasks without full reprogramming.
- Multi-sensor fusion. Diana and Yu cobots combine torque sensing with integrated vision, removing the need for external camera rigs in many use cases.
- Foundation model. From 2026 the company is training an industrial robotics foundation model on the Deutsche Telekom and NVIDIA Industrial AI Cloud, using data from over 20,000 robot installations together with simulation and human-generated datasets.[2][14][18]
The combination of real production data with simulation is intended to let robots adapt to a new task in hours rather than weeks, a target Agile Robots contrasts with rivals relying mostly on synthetic data.[18]
How does Agile Robots use foundation models?
From 2026 Agile Robots pursued two parallel paths to large-model intelligence: training its own industrial foundation model on the Industrial AI Cloud, and partnering with Google DeepMind. The partnership, announced on March 26, 2026, integrates DeepMind's Gemini Robotics foundation models into Agile Robots systems, while deployment data flowing back from the robots is used to improve the underlying models. The companies described the goal as a "scalable AI flywheel" in which real-world industrial data trains better models that then enable broader and more complex deployments, with first deployments in partner factories targeted by the end of 2026. Initial sectors include electronics manufacturing, automotive, data centers, and logistics.[23][24]
The deal made Agile Robots one of several robotics firms to adopt Gemini Robotics, and it framed a distinctive division of labor: European hardware paired with American AI foundations for global customers. "Integrating Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics models into our robotic solutions positions us at the cutting edge of this rapidly growing market," said founder and CEO Zhaopeng Chen, while Carolina Parada, senior director and head of robotics at Google DeepMind, called it "an important step in bringing the impact of AI to the real world."[23][24]
Funding and financials
| Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Founding year | 2018 |
| Headquarters | Munich, Germany |
| Total funding raised | approximately 384 million dollars (pre-2026) |
| Series C amount | 220 million dollars (September 2021) |
| Series C lead | SoftBank Vision Fund 2 |
| Notable Series C investors | Chimera Investments, Hillhouse, GL Ventures, Sequoia China, Linear Capital, Xiaomi, Foxconn Industrial Internet, Midas |
| 2021 valuation | over 1 billion dollars (first German robotics unicorn) |
| 2026 reported round | about 800 million dollars in talks (reported June 2026) |
| 2026 reported valuation | could exceed 5 billion dollars (reported, not closed) |
| Annual revenue (2024) | approximately 200 million euros |
| German R&D spend (2024) | over 80 million euros |
| Employees | over 2,500 (plus around 650 added via Krause Automation) |
| Countries represented in workforce | approximately 60 |
| Munich lab footprint | approximately 10,000 square meters |
Series C proceeds funded product development, mass production, and global sales expansion. Crunchbase data put total raised at 240 million dollars across pre-A, B, and C rounds; later rounds pushed the cumulative figure to roughly 384 million dollars.[7][8]
In June 2026, Bloomberg reported that Agile Robots was in early talks to raise about 800 million dollars from backers including SoftBank, which was discussing a contribution of more than 300 million dollars, with people familiar with the matter saying the valuation could exceed 5 billion dollars. The talks were described as early, with the final size and terms still open to change, so the round was not closed as of June 2026.[22]
Locations and production
| Site | Role |
|---|---|
| Munich, Germany | global HQ, R&D, foundation model team |
| Kaufbeuren, Bavaria | Yu 5 Industrial and Franka cobot production |
| New Bavarian plant | Agile One humanoid production from early 2026 |
| Beijing, China | China HQ and sales |
| Chinese production facility | Diana 7 production for the 3C market |
| Chennai, India | production opened 2024 |
| Krause Automation sites | approximately 10 sites across Europe and North America added in 2025 |
The Munich-Sendling lab was expanded to roughly 10,000 square meters to support the foundation model program and Agile One development. Kaufbeuren was originally planned to ramp to about 2,500 robots per year with roughly 60 additional engineers and technicians.[9][12]
Acquisitions and partnerships
Agile Robots has built its portfolio through both organic development and a series of acquisitions, most concentrated in 2023 to 2025.
| Year | Entity | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | BÄR Automation | majority acquisition | German specialist in custom-engineered assembly systems |
| 2023 | Franka Robotics (formerly Franka Emika) | integration | Munich-based maker of torque-controlled research cobots |
| 2023, completed 2025 | idealworks | full acquisition | BMW Group spin-off for AMRs in intralogistics; 100 percent owned by September 2025 |
| 2024 | Chennai production | greenfield site | India manufacturing for regional supply |
| March 2025 | audEERING | majority acquisition | AI voice and audio analysis; TU Munich spin-out from 2012 |
| November 2025, closed April 2026 | thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering | acquisition | rebranded as Krause Automation; about 650 experts and ten new sites in Europe and North America |
Key commercial and research partnerships include:
| Year | Partner | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 2024, ongoing | NVIDIA | Omniverse integration, simulation, Industrial AI Cloud GPU access |
| 2025 | Bharat Forge (India) | MoU to co-develop AI-driven automation and "dark factory" deployments in India and Southeast Asia |
| 2025 to 2026 | Deutsche Telekom and NVIDIA | anchor customer of the Industrial AI Cloud in Munich (10,000 GPUs, around one billion euros invested) |
| March 2026 | Google DeepMind | research partnership to deploy Gemini Robotics foundation models on Agile Robots systems |
The Bharat Forge MoU, signed in early 2025, scopes co-development across automotive, healthcare, and consumer electronics, including vision and AI-based robotic systems intended to enable fully autonomous "dark" factories. It is restricted to civilian industry.[21]
The Industrial AI Cloud partnership launched in Berlin on November 4, 2025, with Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger in attendance. On February 4, 2026, an Agile One humanoid pressed the start button to power up the facility, which Agile Robots uses to train its industrial robotics foundation model. The wider Industrial AI Cloud ecosystem also includes Siemens, Wandelbots, Quantum Systems, PhysicsX, and Perplexity.[18][19]
Leadership
| Person | Role |
|---|---|
| Dr. Zhaopeng Chen | Co-founder and CEO |
| Peter Meusel | Co-founder, Co-CEO, Managing Director, Board Member |
Both founders are former senior DLR researchers in torque-controlled robotics and dexterous manipulation. Chen has argued that the company's edge over US and Chinese rivals is real production data from more than 20,000 installations plus a stack spanning joint torque sensors to foundation models.[1][18]
See also
- Agile One
- German Aerospace Center
- Collaborative robot
- Humanoid robot
- Dexterous hand
- Humanoid robot hands
- Franka Robotics
- idealworks
- audEERING
- Industrial AI Cloud
- Gemini Robotics
- Physical AI
- KUKA
- NVIDIA
- Deutsche Telekom
References
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- Agile Robots SE. "About Agile Robots." https://www.agile-robots.com/en/about-us/ ↩
- Munich Startup. "Agile Robots: Acquisition and Humanoid Drive Next Growth Spurt." 2025. https://www.munich-startup.de/en/115059/agile-robots-takeover-thyssenkrupp-automation-engineering/ ↩
- xpert.digital. "Agile Robots on the expansion course." 2025. https://xpert.digital/en/agile-robots-on-the-expansion-course/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Diana 7 technical data sheet." https://www.agile-robots.com/media/files/products/diana-7/Agile-Robots_Diana_7_Tech-Data-Sheet.pdf ↩
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- PR Newswire. "AGILE ROBOTS announces Series C led by SoftBank Vision Fund 2." September 10, 2021. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/agile-robots-announces-the-completion-of-series-c-financing-led-by-softbank-vision-fund-2-301373152.html ↩
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- idealworks. "Agile Robots Completes Acquisition of idealworks." 2025. https://idealworks.com/en/agile-robots-acquisition-bmw-group-spinoff-idealworks/ ↩
- Munich Startup. "Agile Robots acquires Idealworks." https://www.munich-startup.de/en/112892/agile-robots-takes-over-idealworks/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Smart Robotics Made in Bavaria: Munich HQ." https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/smart-robotics-made-in-bavaria-agile-robots-opens-global-headquarters-in-munich/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "audEERING joins Agile Robots." March 3, 2025. https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/audeering-leading-specialist-for-ai-supported-audio-analysis-joins-agile-robots/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Agile ONE humanoid for industry." November 19, 2025. https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/agile-robots-launches-humanoid-robot-for-industry-agile-one/ ↩
- The Robot Report. "Agile Robots launches Agile ONE industrial humanoid." November 2025. https://www.therobotreport.com/agile-robots-launches-agile-one-industrial-humanoid/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Acquires thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering." November 26, 2025. https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/agile-robots-acquires-thyssenkrupp-automation-engineering-physical-ai-as-a-catalyst-for-industrial-transformation/ ↩
- The Robot Report. "Agile Robots acquires thyssenkrupp Automation Engineering." November 2025. https://www.therobotreport.com/agile-robots-acquires-thyssenkrupp-automation-engineering/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Anchor customer for Europe's Industrial AI Cloud." 2025. https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/agile-robots-is-an-anchor-customer-for-europes-first-industrial-ai-cloud/ ↩
- NVIDIA Blog. "Deutsche Telekom and NVIDIA Launch Industrial AI Cloud." https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/germany-industrial-ai-cloud-launch/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Solutions: Yu 5 Industrial, Thor, Mobile robotics." https://www.agile-robots.com/en/solutions/ ↩
- Bharat Forge. "MoU with Agile Robots on AI-led automation." January 2025. https://www.bharatforge.com/assets/pdf/press-release/Final_WIP_Bharat-Forge-and-Agile-Robots_07.01.2025.pdf ↩
- Bloomberg (via Sifted). "SoftBank in early talks to back 800 million dollar Agile Robots round." June 2, 2026. https://sifted.eu/articles/softbank-in-talks-to-back-agile-robotics-in-800m-round-reports-say ↩
- TechCrunch. "Agile Robots becomes the latest robotics company to partner with Google DeepMind." March 24, 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/03/24/agile-robots-becomes-the-latest-robotics-company-to-partner-with-google-deepmind/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Agile Robots and Google DeepMind partner to bring intelligence to robotics." March 2026. https://www.agile-robots.com/en/news/detail/agile-robots-and-google-deepmind-partner-to-bring-intelligence-to-robotics/ ↩
- Agile Robots SE. "Agile Hand: the human-like robotic hand." https://www.agile-robots.com/en/solutions/agile-hand/ ↩
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