HANNOVER MESSE 2026 Spotlights Commercial Deployment of Humanoid Robots and Industrial AI

HANNOVER MESSE, a major global manufacturing trade show, made humanoid robots and Industrial AI key themes for 2026. The focus reflects automation’s shift from fixed equipment toward systems that can perceive, learn, and collaborate, helping manufacturers address labor shortages, flexible-production needs, and factory digitalization.

The trade show was held from April 20 to 24, 2026. Schaeffler and Hexagon Robotics signed a partnership agreement to deploy about 1,000 AEON humanoid robots across factories worldwide over the next seven years and expand their use in component inspection from the end of 2026. The value of the partnership was not disclosed.