Johnson Electric Hosts 2025 Humanoid Roundtable to Explore Hardware Standards in Next-Generation Humanoid Robotics
Leaders from seven humanoid manufacturers convene with hardware experts to discuss the future of humanoid hardware standardization
Johnson Electric, a global leader in motion systems, hosted the inaugural 2025 Humanoid Roundtable on April 29 in Boston, MA, USA. The event brought together C-suite and technical executives in small to large humanoid manufacturers located across North America, Europe, and China.
Co-hosted by advanced technology experts, ESTAT Actuation, Netzer Precision, and IMSystems, the aim was to foster an open and informal discussion on the future of humanoid hardware standardization. Participants shared challenges, identified overlapping needs, and explored how shared standards might simplify integration and reduce costs. Top priorities included addressing recurring technical hurdles-such as motor-gearbox compatibility, connector reliability, and the lack of modular, off-the-shelf actuation systems.
"We found our hypothesis to be largely correct; in future humanoid platforms, differentiation will increasingly come from AI, training data, and application learning systems," said Adam Stienecker, Director of Global Innovation at Johnson Electric.
That framing set the tone for a discussion that ranged from subsystem modularity to the broader need for scalable service infrastructure and commercialization strategies beyond the product itself. The challenges and priorities raised are now helping shape the focus of Johnson Electric's follow-on event this September with A3, where the company will introduce its new joint solutions designed to reduce system cost and enable advanced functionality.
"There was a clear willingness to define what standards could look like-and to keep the conversation going. We're looking forward to building on that momentum in September with A3, as plans are finalized." said Carlos Richardson, roundtable emcee and Business Designer at Johnson Electric.
The 2025 Humanoid Roundtable is part of a broader industry effort to accelerate the path to scalable, serviceable, and commercially viable humanoid systems.
For interest related to humanoid joint systems, to speak into standardization, or to learn more, please contact the Johnson Electric team at innovation@johnsonelectric.com
About Johnson Electric
The Johnson Electric Group is a global leader in electric motors, actuators, motion subsystems and related electro-mechanical components. It serves a broad range of industries including Automotive, Smart Metering, Medical Devices, Business Equipment, Home Automation, Ventilation, White Goods, Power Tools, Lawn & Garden Equipment, and Warehouse Automation. The Group is headquartered in Hong Kong and employs more than 30,000 individuals in over 20 countries worldwide. Johnson Electric Holdings Limited is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Stock Code: 179). For more information, visit johnsonelectric.com.
Featured Product
3D Vision: Ensenso B now also available as a mono version!
This compact 3D camera series combines a very short working distance, a large field of view and a high depth of field - perfect for bin picking applications. With its ability to capture multiple objects over a large area, it can help robots empty containers more efficiently. Now available from IDS Imaging Development Systems. In the color version of the Ensenso B, the stereo system is equipped with two RGB image sensors. This saves additional sensors and reduces installation space and hardware costs. Now, you can also choose your model to be equipped with two 5 MP mono sensors, achieving impressively high spatial precision. With enhanced sharpness and accuracy, you can tackle applications where absolute precision is essential. The great strength of the Ensenso B lies in the very precise detection of objects at close range. It offers a wide field of view and an impressively high depth of field. This means that the area in which an object is in focus is unusually large. At a distance of 30 centimetres between the camera and the object, the Z-accuracy is approx. 0.1 millimetres. The maximum working distance is 2 meters. This 3D camera series complies with protection class IP65/67 and is ideal for use in industrial environments.
