Germany’s Neura plans to sell 5m of its ‘cognitive’ robots by 2030
30 June 2025 
Neura Robotics, the German pioneer of “cognitive” robotics, has unveiled the third generation of its 4NE1 (for anyone) humanoid robot and revealed ambitious plans to deliver five million of its robots for industry, services and the home, by 2030. The company has also announced the first cognitive robot aimed at domestic and service duties. Whether in retail, care, or the home, the MiPA (my intelligent personal assistant) wheeled robot has been developed to address the shortage of skilled workers in service industries and to make robots affordable for home-owners for the first time. Neura is planning to start delivering these machines later this year.
Cognitive robots can work autonomously and safely with humans in real environments. They operate without protective cages and can perceive their surroundings independently, make decisions, and learn from experience. Using a patented sensor – called the Omnisensor – they can distinguish people reliably from objects, recognise them, and adapt their behaviour accordingly. Neura says it is making cognitive robotics suitable for the mass market for the first time.
“Cognitive robotics is the next technological revolution – and it is happening right here and now,” declares the company’s founder and CEO, David Reger. “Cognitive robots will fundamentally change the way we live and work. At Neura, we are not only pioneers on the hardware side, but also develop the underlying software and AI. Neura is doing for robotics what the iPhone did for smartphones.”
The 180cm-tall third-generation humanoid can lift payloads of up to 100kg, and has an intelligent dual-battery system that allows uninterrupted 24/7 operation. The 50kg machine can move at speeds of up to 5km/h. It has a sensitive “skin” that detects touches before actual contact, making human-robot interaction safer and more precise.
Neura has developed an open ecosystem that connects robots and allows the easy development and use of applications – like an app store. Called the Neuraverse, it allows robots to share experiences they have learned from real-world applications. What one robot can do, all others can learn simultaneously. This creates an intelligent network that increases innovation, safety and efficiency. Developers, end-users and others can contribute their own modules and applications.
The ecosystem’s secure, modular structure means that organisations can drive innovation together without risking their intellectual property. Initial applications – such as a joint welding system developed with the welding specialist, Abicor Binzel – show how humans and robots can collaborate in real time. The robots adapt and improve their performance continuously.
To enhance the quality of training data, Neura is building its own physical AI training centres – dubbed Neura Gyms – which will generate data from real applications. This, combined with synthetic data from the Neuraverse, will lead to complex, transferable models. Once a skill has been trained, it can be transferred to any other Neura robot.
To enable the rapid, automated production of humanoids that Neura will need to hit its sales targets, the company has developed the new production method that it calls Neura Hive. Several robots arranged in a circle assemble humanoid components in a confined space. Neura says that this will make humanoid robotics scalable for the first time.
Neura has developed its MiPA cognitive household and service robot to address the shortage of skilled workers in service industries, and to make robot technology affordable for domestic users for the first time. Like other Neura robots, it is an open, interoperable platform. The robot’s cognitive abilities can be expanded via the Neuraverse. Partners can develop applications (skills) such as monitoring health or tidying rooms, on this platform.
Neura CEO Reger believes that the company is showing how the future will work. “With 4NE1 and MiPA, we are fundamentally changing how people interact with machines,” he says. “Our Neuraverse is the product that connects everything – the operating system of the robotics era.”
Neura currently has around 600 employees – twice as many as six months ago. Earlier this year, it announced that it had raised €120m in Series B funding to support the launch of its products and to invest in further R&D. It has also formed partnerships with robotics companies including Omron, Kawasaki and Delta who will be marketing Neura technologies as white-label products.
Neura is also working with Nvidia on implementing its Neura Gyms. In a strategic collaboration, Neura is combining its robots with SAP AI and Nvidia digital twin technologies. In partnership with Flexion, Neura is expanding its Neuraverse with new mobility and full-body coordination capabilities, giving robots greater agility and robustness. Schaeffler Special Machinery and Schunk are also part of Neura’s partner network.
