What technical skills does a humanoid robot possess?

© Fraunhofer IPA/Photo Rainer Bez

A research team from Fraunhofer HNFIZ has published a newly developed evaluation model that categorizes the technical capabilities of humanoids across five levels of development. Applications can also be classified based on the robot capabilities required. The model makes humanoids comparable, facilitates the selection of the right humanoid for a specific application, and highlights open topics in technology development.

Against the backdrop of increasing skilled labor shortages and rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, humanoid robots are becoming increasingly prominent in industry and logistics. Companies face the central question of when and for which tasks humanoid robots are technically and economically viable or will become so. Many companies and research institutions are already testing initial systems, but until now, there has been a lack of a comprehensive, comparable evaluation model.

Transparency and comparability for humanoid robots

This is where the Humanoid Capabilities Navigator, developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation IPA at the Heilbronn site, comes into play. It has been published in a newly released white paper. Fraunhofer IPA, as part of the research and innovation center for AI-based robotics, is a component of the Fraunhofer Heilbronn Research and Innovation Centers HNFIZ and works on topics such as intelligent mobile manipulation and flexible use of robotic arms, as well as humanoids.

The Humanoid Capabilities Navigator is broadly inspired by the five levels of automation in autonomous driving and evaluates humanoid robots based on four categories, which often include various technical capabilities and their levels of development:

– Mobility and locomotion (including localization and path planning)
– Manipulation (including force perception and grasp planning)
– Cognition (including perception and task planning)
– Safety and security

For each capability within a category, humanoids can be classified according to maturity levels from 0 (not present) to 4 (highly autonomous, comparable to or better than humans). This allows for the first time a transparent, manufacturer-independent, and well-founded comparison of different humanoids and provides information about their suitability for specific applications.

Practical assessment of real-world applications and robots

The publication illustrates the use of the Humanoid Capabilities Navigator in typical industrial applications such as truck loading and unloading, order picking, machine operation, and maintenance tasks. For each task, the necessary technical maturity levels in the four capability areas are outlined. For example, truck loading demands the highest levels in manipulation, cognition, and safety, while machine operation requires lower levels due to the more structured process, which involves less flexibility in task execution.

Using a current humanoid robot, the G1 from Unitree Robotics, the automation division of Fraunhofer IPA tested the Humanoid Capabilities Navigator. It was found that the current G1 version has already made significant progress in areas such as mobility. However, there is still considerable development needed to fully meet industrial requirements. The evaluation model makes these gaps transparent and helps to specifically prioritize development efforts.

Guidance for research, development, and market forecasts

The Humanoid Capabilities Navigator provides industry with a practical tool to realistically assess the potential of humanoid robots, validate investment decisions, and derive targeted research and development measures. It also enables a reliable assessment of future market developments, as the progress of the technology is systematically linked to specific application requirements.

This white paper is part of several publications that the institute has already published or will publish in the first half of 2026. All of them focus on providing companies with comprehensive and reliable material to evaluate and assess the economic and technical feasibility of deploying humanoid robots for their own applications.