From Simulation to Scale: Wandelbots and Schaeffler Bridge Virtual and Physical Automation with NVIDIA Omniverse
A new model powered by Wandelbots’ software platform is redefining how industrial enterprises design, validate, and deploy intelligent automation
Dresden, Germany/NVIDIA GTC Europe, Paris - June 11, 2025 - Wandelbots, the pioneer in software-defined industrial automation, today announced the next chapter in its collaboration with Schaeffler and NVIDIA - showcasing how a unified software platform can seamlessly bridge simulation and shopfloor execution, and transform industrial engineering into a scalable, digital-first process.
At the heart of this collaboration is Wandelbots' NOVA Operating System, now intergrated with NVIDIA Omniverse to simulate, validate, and optimize robotic behaviors virtually - and deploy them without loss of fidelity to physical robots. Providing the robot brain for the entire automation life cycle from virtual planning to operation in series production.
The use case, presented live at NVIDIA GTC Europe, illustrates this breakthrough with the target to push it into the series production.
Once considered a non-automatable process due to soft material dynamics, it now runs autonomously - first virtually, then physically - thanks to NOVA's real-time, robot-agnostic execution engine.
"This is what the future of automation looks like," said Christian Piechnick, Co-Founder and CEO of Wandelbots. "It's programmable, scalable, and intelligent - and it starts with simulation. We're proud to work together with Schaeffler and NVIDIA to define the next industrial standard."
Key Highlights
• Digital Twin First Engineering:
o Schaeffler's engineers simulate robotic workflows in NVIDIA Omniverse, using Wandelbots NOVA for real-time control and cycle time optimization.
o Physical execution of these workflows happens without reprogramming, closing the sim-to-real gap.
• Business Impact:
o Faster deployment of robotic workflows.
o Reduction in engineering cost and time-to-integration.
o Improved first-time-right rates and reduced trial-and-error cycles.
• Strategic Relevance:
o Lays the foundation for a program-once, deploy-anywhere automation model across Schaeffler plants.
o Aligns with NVIDIA Mega Omniverse Blueprint and Microsoft Azure Industrial Cloud strategies.
"This is more than a technology showcase - it's a working model for the Digital Factory," said Katharina Jessa, Chief Revenue Officer at Wandelbots. "Together with Schaeffler and NVIDIA, we're proving that real industrial transformation is possible - faster, smarter, and grounded in measurable business value."
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