European robotics companies to watch in 2025

The European robotics sector is experiencing unprecedented growth, with the global market for humanoid robots expected to reach $38 billion by 2035. This surge is driven by pressing global needs, particularly labour shortages in advanced economies. Countries like Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway are facing more job vacancies than unemployed workers, highlighting the urgent demand for robotic solutions.

As Europe’s robotics sector gains momentum, a new wave of innovative startups is set to transform industries across the continent and beyond in 2025. These companies stand out for their focus on cutting-edge technologies, from AI-driven humanoid robots to advanced industrial automation systems. What makes this group particularly promising to investors is their potential to address critical challenges in labor-intensive industries while pushing the boundaries of human-robot collaboration.

While established global players continue to dominate headlines, several emerging companies are positioning themselves at the forefront of technological advancement, building upon initiatives like the Sharework and SHERLOCK programs. These projects have paved the way for systems that enable safe human-robot collaboration without protective barriers. Here are some of the names you should pay attention to in 2025:

1X Technologies (Norway): Following its $100 million funding round in early 2024, 1X plans to accelerate the development and production of its NEO Beta humanoid robot for home use. As a European company, 1X is positioning itself as a leader in consumer-focused humanoid robotics, with its manufacturing facility located in Moss, Norway. NEO Beta is designed with advanced sensors and AI, enabling it to respond to human emotions, voice commands, and gestures. In 2024, the company deployed a limited number of NEO units in selected homes for research and development purposes. 1X aims to manufacture thousands of units by 2025, with the potential to ramp up production to millions by 2028, according to Fox News.

Energy Robotics (Germany): Energy Robotics is growing its business of self-operating robots for checking industrial sites, following a successful trial with Boston Dynamics’ Spot robot. The company offers a complete software package that works with various robot types. This software includes a central control system for the robots, online tools to manage multiple robots, and smart data analysis. Their technology allows robots to inspect dangerous or hard-to-reach areas in factories and other industrial settings without needing a human operator nearby. Energy Robotics has a global footprint: their products are commercially deployed across four continents, with over 50 robots in operation and more than 4,000 hours of autonomous inspection rounds completed. Energy Robotics has formed strategic partnerships with major players in the robotics industry. They collaborated with ExRobotics to launch the ExR-1, the world’s first commercially available explosion-proof mobile ground robotics system for remote inspection in oil and gas operations. Energy Robotics is leveraging its strong partnership with AWS to enhance its AI capabilities and global reach while also optimizing its AI-driven machine vision applications, known as skills, which convert raw data from robots into insights for industrial inspections.

NEURA Robotics (Germany): With its substantial funding, the company’s product line includes collaborative robot arms (LARA series), cognitive cobots (MAiRA), mobile robots (MAV), and the humanoid robot 4NE-1, all based on a single AI-integrated platform connected via Neuraverse. NEURA Robotics,  which is currently relocating its production from China to Germany, has joined Nvidia Humanoid Robot Developer Program earlier this year. NEURA Robotics is leveraging NVIDIA’s Isaac platform, including Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab, to accelerate the development and training of its cognitive and humanoid robots, aiming to achieve faster growth and delivery of up to 5 million robots by 2030.

Robotic Systems Lab (Switzerland): The lab behind ANYmal is working on improving the quadrupedal robot’s autonomous decision-making capabilities. In 2025, they plan to unveil a new version of ANYmal with enhanced AI that can perform complex tasks in industrial settings with minimal human intervention. The lab is also developing innovative motion planning and control systems for hybrid locomotion, combining wheeled and legged mobility to achieve both efficiency and versatility. Their research extends to underwater capabilities, with ANYmal being the only robot of its kind to be completely waterproof. In collaboration with industry partners, the company is exploring the use of ANYmal for industrial inspections, particularly in challenging environments like oil and gas sites, equipping the robot with various sensors including optical and thermal cameras, microphones, and gas-detection sensors.

Humanoid (U.K.):  Based in the U.K. and launched in 2024, Humanoid is creating commercially scalable and safe humanoid robots. The startup is focused on developing industrial solutions, aiming to deploy general-purpose robots in environments hazardous for humans. Humanoid’s approach emphasizes cost-effective, versatile, and user-friendly implementation, with the goal of making advanced automation accessible to businesses across various industries. Their robots aim to tackle a wide range of tasks without requiring extensive technical expertise for integration.

These startups represent just a fraction of the innovative companies driving Europe’s robotics revolution. 

As they continue to push technological boundaries, 2025 promises to be a pivotal year for the integration of advanced robotics across various industries.