Nvidia-powered humanoid clears 8-hour Siemens factory shift at 60 totes per hour

Siemens, UK robotics startup Humanoid, and Nvidia announced at Hannover Messe 2026 the results of a two-week live factory deployment conducted in January, which exceeded all predefined benchmarks. Humanoid’s HMND 01 Alpha wheeled robot operated continuously for over eight hours at Siemens’ electronics factory in Erlangen, Germany, performing tote destacking at 60 container moves per hour, with a pick-and-place success rate above 90 per cent. The robot operated alongside human workers and existing automated systems in a live production environment, where performance directly impacted operations. What the robot actually did The robot’s task involved picking storage totes, transporting them across the facility, and placing them on conveyor belts at designated handover points for human workers. This cycle repeated until each stack was cleared. The task is repetitive and physically demanding, representing a challenge for industrial automation in unpredictable environments or where real-time human coordination is needed. Siemens’ Global Head of Manufacturing Motion Control, Stephan Schlauss, described the Erlangen plant as “customer zero,” noting that Siemens prioritized its own factory before offering the capability to external customers. This approach positions Siemens as the first paying customer and validator of the technology, rather than a passive evaluator. The technology stack behind it The HMND 01 Alpha is built on Nvidia’s physical AI stack , with on-board computing powered by Nvidia Jetson Thor. Training was conducted using Nvidia Isaac Lab for reinforcement learning and policy development, with Nvidia Isaac Sim handling simulation-first validation before any physical deployment. Integration into Siemens’ production systems was handled through the Siemens Xcelerator platform, which provided digital twin capability, AI-enabled perception, PLC-robot interfaces, fleet management, and industrial communication networks. This enabled the robot to coordinate in real …