Schaeffler Wins Red Dot Design Award for GraviKart, an AI-Driven Autonomous Transport System Revolutionizing Industrial Workspaces

GraviKart is built with intelligent systems and components to provide listening, speaking, and visual recognition capabilities for effective communication between employees and robots.

(IN BRIEF) Schaeffler has received the Red Dot Design Award 2025 in the “Design Concept” category for its GraviKart, an autonomous robotic transport system designed to enhance human-machine collaboration in industrial and logistics settings. The AI-powered GraviKart combines haptic and voice recognition technologies with autonomous navigation, allowing safe and efficient support for physically demanding shop floor tasks. Developed through Schaeffler’s Hub for Advanced Research (SHARE) program, the concept reflects the company’s leadership in robotics and innovation. Senior Director Han Boon Siew highlighted that the award recognizes Schaeffler’s drive to create intelligent, future-oriented solutions, emphasizing its role in advancing humanoid robotics by transferring expertise from automotive and industrial applications to next-generation robotic systems.

(PRESS RELEASE) SINGAPORE / HERZOGENAURACH, 17-Oct-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — Schaeffler has been honored with the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in the “Design Concept 2025” category for its groundbreaking GraviKart innovation concept, an autonomous robotic push trolley designed to transform industrial and logistics operations. The accolade underscores Schaeffler’s growing influence in robotics and its contribution to shaping the future of intelligent, collaborative manufacturing environments.

GraviKart is an AI-powered driverless transport system engineered for human-centric collaboration on the shop floor. Compact and modular in design, it assists workers by handling physically demanding tasks, such as moving heavy items in confined spaces, while ensuring safety and efficiency. Equipped with cameras for autonomous navigation and obstacle detection, GraviKart integrates haptic feedback and AI-based voice recognition, allowing it to interpret gestures and communicate through LED signals — creating an intuitive interaction between humans and machines.

“We are proud to receive the Red Dot Design Award. As one of the most prestigious international design competitions, this recognition underscores our team’s dedication and passion for developing intelligent solutions that drive progress in motion,” said Han Boon Siew, Senior Director of Schaeffler Hub for Advanced Research and Innovation, and Subcluster Manager for Humanoids. “Autonomous transport systems are a key element for the production of the future. Schaeffler’s long-standing expertise in robotics provides the foundation for successful growth in the field of humanoid robotics.”

The GraviKart concept emerged from Schaeffler’s Hub for Advanced Research (SHARE) program, which fosters collaboration between Schaeffler engineers and leading academic institutions through its company-on-campus model. This framework promotes the exchange of knowledge and accelerates the translation of research innovations into practical, scalable industrial solutions.

The recognition from the Red Dot Design Award highlights not only Schaeffler’s design excellence but also its strategic commitment to advancing humanoid robotics — a field expected to redefine manufacturing and logistics in the coming years. With its deep understanding of precision components such as bearings, actuators, and sensors, Schaeffler leverages its experience as both a developer and user of robotic systems to bridge technologies from automotive and industrial sectors to humanoid applications. The company’s expertise in automation and motion systems continues to set benchmarks for intelligent, adaptive, and human-interactive robotics.

Schaeffler Group – We pioneer motion: The Schaeffler Group has been driving forward groundbreaking inventions and developments in the field of motion technology for over 75 years. With innovative technologies, products, and services for electric mobility, CO₂-efficient drives, chassis solutions, and renewable energies, the company is a reliable partner for making motion more efficient, intelligent, and sustainable – over the entire life cycle. Schaeffler describes its comprehensive range of products and services by means of eight product families: from bearing solutions and all types of linear guidance systems through to repair and monitoring services. With around 120,000 employees and more than 250 locations in 55 countries, Schaeffler is one of the world’s largest family-owned companies and ranks among Germany’s most innovative companies.

Media contact:

Daniel Pokorny
Head of Communications Technologym Operations & Digitalization
Tel.: +49 9132 82 88708
E-Mail: Daniel.pokorny@schaeffler.com

Vijay Chaudhury
Head of Communications & Branding Asia/Pacific
Tel.: +65 6540-8683
E-Mail: vijay.chaudhury@schaeffler.com

SOURCE: Schaeffler AG