In the event you ask start-up entrepreneur David Reger what a “actual colleague” is for him, the lightning-fast reply is astonishing: “A cognitive robotic!” says the person from the small city of Metzingen in south-west Germany. And Reger instantly follows up: “Robots should not caught within the metaverse. They will tackle very actual duties in on a regular basis life and make our lives and work a lot simpler.”
After all, machines that seem like human-like of their actions, that independently perform recurring mechanical duties in business when assembling technical gadgets or exchange specialist personnel even for classy duties in unmanned portray strains, have lengthy been identified and are thought-about customary. However robots that may “hear”, “see”, and even “assume” – that’s nonetheless largely a factor of the long run. Nonetheless, it will change rapidly, in a short time, Reger predicts. Tremendous-smart robots which are in a position to make selections will turn into established as an indispensable a part of international worth chains within the foreseeable future.
The younger entrepreneur Reger, born in 1988, a frontrunner, sees himself as each a pioneer and an implementer. Because the oldest of 11 siblings, he has been used to main the way in which and taking over duty from an early age. As a younger grownup, he wished to get out and see the world and spent a while in San Francisco. To not work in Silicon Valley, nonetheless, however to turn into concerned as a social employee in a accountable position for society. He says, “I used to be pushed early on by the thought of constructing the world a greater place. Again in Europe, Reger’s profession started in Switzerland because the founder and head of high-tech corporations within the automation and robotics sector.
From analysis straight into actuality
Reger initially entered the business as a profession change. As we speak, he’s CEO of Neura Robotics GmbH, an organization he based in 2019. In response to the corporate, it now employs greater than 1,100 individuals. The corporate’s personal requirements are extraordinarily excessive and could seem provocative: “Our aim is to turn into the following internationally profitable multi-billion company after SAP to come back from Germany,” defined Reger in an interview with the German enterprise medium Handelsblatt. It might nonetheless take some time to succeed in that aim. However Neura clearly doesn’t take small steps. Pace is the important thing.
Reger’s mission: He desires to “broaden human potential by means of cognitive robotics” as rapidly as potential. His desired result’s to “make work extra significant and life extra humane”. Examples of this embody using cognitive robots in industrial manufacturing in addition to in enterprise processes in administration and even in on a regular basis duties in non-public households. Neura Robotics guarantees its prospects: “Our know-how adapts to the way in which you’re employed and dwell.” The idea behind it: The corporate’s personal synthetic intelligence “Aura” is meant to convey humanoid intelligence from analysis straight into actuality.
Senses and sensor pores and skin as primary gear
Neura’s cognitive robotic with the extraterrestrial-sounding identify 4NE1 (“For Anybody”) took to the stage on the Automatica 2025 commerce truthful within the southern German metropolis of Munich for a have a look at actuality. Designed in black and white, with an athletic construct. Its primary gear already contains nearly “human senses”, together with seven 3D cameras and the patented omnisensor know-how. This know-how makes it potential to precisely distinguish individuals from objects and acknowledge them. It permits the robotic to adapt dynamically to its surroundings and allows collaborative work with individuals with out the same old security cage. 4NE1 is sort of as approachable as a “actual colleague”.
The adaptive arms carry out high quality motor duties and predestine 4NE1 for advanced industrial actions in addition to for the service sector. Because of its highly effective joints, it effortlessly lifts hundreds weighing as much as 100 kilograms, in response to the producer. In the event you have a look at the fingertips of colleague 4NE1, you possibly can see synthetic pores and skin. The substitute pores and skin acknowledges contact shortly earlier than bodily contact with the sensor pores and skin. In response to Neura, this makes interactions with individuals safer and extra exact. And the clever twin battery drive ensures uninterrupted operation across the clock. 4NE1 is designed to be versatile – for instance, in pharmaceutical manufacturing in addition to in items logistics or as an assistant in geriatric care. The funding in humanoid robots might rapidly repay for employers, as entry-level costs now begin at 60,000 euros per robotic.
5 million robots by 2030
“As Neura, we’re not solely a pioneer on the {hardware} aspect, but in addition develop the underlying software program and synthetic intelligence. Right here, within the coronary heart of Europe, we’re constructing the following evolutionary stage of robotics. Not as science fiction, however for the on a regular basis lives of tens of millions of individuals,” says David Reger, who emphasizes: “We now have set ourselves the aim of delivering 5 million robots by 2030 – for business, companies, and the house. With this, we effectively be doing for robotics what the iPhone did for the smartphone.”
Apple and SAP – these are the benchmarks on which Reger’s imaginative and prescient relies. Along with good concepts and quick implementation, the founder additionally wants some huge cash. In January 2025, he raised 120 million euros from buyers. He satisfied buyers with a have a look at the books: In response to Neura, the order backlog at the moment was price a couple of billion euros. “In Germany, we now have to rapidly notice that it’s important to make investments rather a lot if you wish to construct one thing in just a few years that took a century to construct within the previous world,” says Reger.
In September 2025, Neura acquired the coveted German Founders Award (Deutscher Gründerpreis) within the “Rising Star” class. The prize is awarded by Porsche, the Sparkasse banks, the ZDF public broadcasting firm, and the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “I all the time wished to make a distinction and I’m satisfied that the following step in robotics can really change the world,” stated Reger on the award ceremony in Berlin. The award was introduced to him by a person who has been professionally concerned in industrial automation for many years: Albrecht Reimold, Board Member for Manufacturing and Logistics at sports activities automobile producer Porsche AG. He praised, “We now have devoted individuals and brilliant minds who develop new enterprise concepts and begin corporations with braveness, dedication, and fervour with a purpose to transfer Germany ahead.” David Reger is a becoming instance of this. Solely just lately, he introduced that he can be relocating his robotic manufacturing, which was initially carried out in China, fully to Germany. Because the winner of the German Founders Award, he receives assist from an advisory group of Porsche Consulting utilizing their Innovation Lab in Berlin along with Neura.
The German Founders Award – Improvements rewarded
Entrepreneurship means having the braveness to deal with and redesign issues. In concrete phrases – to work on the improvements of tomorrow. That is what the German Founders Award (Deutscher Gründerpreis) stands for. Since 2002, it has honored personalities who should not afraid to show imaginative and prescient into motion. On September 9, 2025, the award was introduced within the following classes: Rising Star, Begin-Up, Lifetime Achievement, and Particular Prize. On the twenty third presentation of the award, which is supported by Porsche as a companion, the start-up sector met within the ZDF capital studio in Berlin.
The jury selected Neura Robotics because the winner within the Rising Star class. Within the Begin-Up class, the award went to the Munich-based firm PlanQC. The know-how developed by PlanQC might essentially change computing – quantum processors which are primarily based on impartial atoms and performance at room temperature. The founding group thus brings the analysis work on one of many world’s most subtle applied sciences from the Max Planck Institute to industrial utility.
Hans Peter Stihl acquired the Lifetime Achievement Award. With 5 a long time on the helm of the Stihl household enterprise and high positions on the DIHT and within the metallic business, he is likely one of the most influential figures in German financial historical past. The Particular Prize was awarded to the Rotkäppchen-Mumm Group, which, after efficiently finishing a restructuring section, developed right into a profitable nationwide market chief in just some years.
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Textual content first printed in Porsche Consulting Journal.
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