A gym where humanoid robots learn factory work by feel, not just code

Robots, like apprentices, learn best by doing — so in Munich, they have been given a gym. NEURA Robotics and the Technical University of Munich have opened the TUM RoboGym at LabCampus near Munich Airport: a 2,300-square-metre training hall where the humanoid robot 4NE1 Gen 4 and other machines practise the physical skills of industry — loading components, filling bottles, packaging goods. Sensors record force, touch, movement, sound and vision as robots act, as humans demonstrate tasks in motion-capture suits, and as simulations run, building the physical know-how that code alone can't teach. The three-year initiative is worth €17 million (about $19 million), with NEURA contributing €11 million (about $12 million) plus hardware, staff and computing, aimed at manufacturing, automotive, logistics and medical technology. The star pupil is already showing off: the 4NE1 Gen 4, 20% lighter than its predecessor, was exhibited at NVIDIA's GTC Berlin on October 22.

SDG 9 · Industry, innovation and infrastructure — Mechanism: infrastructure build