HANNOVER MESSE
engines in heavy-duty applications. Joachim Ladra, Head of Sales, Marketing & Communication, explained the company’s focus: “Our mission is to make fuel cells a technically and commercially viable alternative for trucks, buses, and off-highway vehicles, without being limited to our owners’ fleets.” Ladra said that visitors to the Cellcentric stand can explore demonstrations of the company’s fuel cell technology, which achieves efficiency levels above 60%, offering parity with diesel in both payload and driving range. Cellcentric is also highlighting stationary power generation solutions, such as containerised Gensets, which convert hydrogen into electricity for factories, data centres,
present advantage lies in immediate productivity gains. Current adopters span industries from quality control in watchmaking to worm farming, illustrating that automation is not sector specific. For the foreseeable future, igus believes the greatest impact will be in low-skill, repetitive tasks, with truly flexible humanoid robots still five to 10 years away from practical deployment. Cellcentric: pioneering hydrogen fuel cells for heavy- duty decarbonisation Also at the show, Cellcentric, a 50/50 joint venture between Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group, is showcasing its advanced hydrogen fuel cell systems designed to replace diesel
of high-end, expensive robotics. igus offers a marketplace for “low-cost automation,” combining verified components from multiple manufacturers to ensure reliability. Potential buyers can test applications with their own parts before committing to investment, a model designed to eliminate the risk often associated with cheaper imports. While humanoid robots capture the imagination, igus emphasises that for most industrial tasks, specialised arms such as Cobot, SCARA, or Delta robots are more practical. These are configured for specific pick-and-place, gluing, or palletising tasks, fully integrated and delivered at a fixed price without recurring software fees. “Everyone with a base understanding of mathematics would probably say, why pay a few thousand a month when you can pay once and have it work for years?” said Johannes Erdinger, International PR Manager at igus. Prices for humanoids such as the company’s Iggy Rob start at €14,000 and can rise to €86,000 depending on size, payload, and speed. igus anticipates costs will gradually fall as technology matures, though the company stresses the
“Agile One will be a German produced robot,” says Sven Parusel, the company’s Head of Research Partnerships. “We’re not targeting for it as a standalone product. So you will not be able to buy Agile One. It will be included in industrial environments, working together with the humans and other robotic or industrial automation solutions.” Parusel says that humanoids are becoming adept in being able to take on certain tasks on factory floors. But, he adds, there’s a long way to go before the machines are able to take on the sort of tasks currently entrusted to human workers. “So, what we train the robot for, of course, is industrial tasks,” he adds. “Picking up objects, placing objects, putting things together, using tools, machine tending. These kinds of basic ideas are trained into the foundation models that we develop, that we train. So, if it’s in that realm, of course, there’s a good chance that our model already can do some of these things for you. If it’s something completely different, you might start from scratch and collect a lot of new data for that. We’re nowhere close to a generic robot brain, and not just us, nobody really. So, I think humanoids are just doing what you tell them.”
At Hannover Messe, Agile is also demonstrating how its collaborative robotic systems, combined with AI-driven production scheduling, can maximise throughput while reducing waste and energy consumption. The company offers digital twin simulations that allow operators to model production lines virtually, anticipating bottlenecks and testing layout changes before committing to physical implementation. “Our systems are being evaluated not only in automotive and electronics manufacturing but also for defence production, where flexible assembly lines and precision robotics are essential,” Parusel said. Agile’s approach underscores the convergence of industrial efficiency and strategic readiness, illustrating how adaptable automation can serve both commercial and security imperatives. igus brings low- cost automation to SMEs with Iggy Rob humanoid and robotic arms At this year’s show, igus is showcasing a portfolio aimed squarely at small and medium-sized enterprises seeking affordable automation solutions. The company’s philosophy is simple: automation should not be the preserve
and marine applications. These systems allow decarbonisation in contexts where battery-electric solutions may be limited by grid constraints. Yet, despite the tech advances, Ladra admits that take up has been slower than many had hoped. Fleet owners and manufacturers have been reluctant to invest in the technology due to a lack of infrastructure while few fuelling stations have been built due to a shortage of hydrogen trucks. To get round this impasse, Ladra says Cellcentric is actively collaborating with partners across the Global Hydrogen Mobility Alliance to develop hydrogen refuelling networks in Europe. “Technology alone is not enough. We need the full ecosystem – fuel, infrastructure, and operational reliability – to make hydrogen a sustainable alternative,” he said. “Our next-generation fuel cell systems, launching this year, are designed to be ready for that transition.”
Written by Lucy Barnard, Editor, Automation News
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