Europe faces data bottlenecks in humanoid robotics race
At the 2026 Machina Summit in Paris, European executives identified severe data training bottlenecks as a major obstacle to competing with China and the US in physical AI. David Kehr, president of Humanoid Robotics at German firm Schaeffler Technologies, urged policymakers to act, noting Europe could lead on global safety standards but must avoid stifling regulation. Schaeffler, traditionally focused on automotive components, entered the sector in January via a partnership with UK start-up Humanoid, supplying actuators and planning to deploy its AI models in factories. The summit's speaker line-up was dominated by US firms, underscoring Europe's uphill battle.
Key facts
- 2026 Machina Summit held in Paris on Tuesday
- David Kehr is president of Humanoid Robotics at Schaeffler Technologies
- Schaeffler is a German firm based in Bavaria
- Schaeffler entered humanoid robotics in January through partnership with UK start-up Humanoid
- Schaeffler supplies actuators and plans to deploy Humanoid's AI models in its factories
- Kehr identified safety standards and faster training speeds as primary hurdles
- Most presenting companies at the summit were headquartered in the US
- European firms made up only a small fraction of the speaker line-up
Entities
Institutions
- Machina Summit
- Humanoid Robotics
- Schaeffler Technologies
- Humanoid (UK start-up)
Locations
- Paris
- France
- Bavaria
- Germany
- China
- US
- Europe