4NE-1

The 4NE-1 humanoid robot, developed by NEURA Robotics, a German company founded in 2019, represents a significant advancement in cognitive robotics, particularly with its third-generation model unveiled at Automatica 2025. Standing at 180 cm tall and weighing 80 kg, 4NE-1 is designed for both industrial and domestic applications, embodying the company's AURA AI platform and the Neuraverse ecosystem. Its architecture emphasizes human-like fluidity in movement, precise environmental perception, and seamless collaboration with humans, enabled by full-body sensing, adaptive control, and safe interaction protocols. At the core of 4NE-1's intelligence is the multimodal AURA AI system, which integrates computer vision, language models, reinforcement learning (RL), and sensor fusion. This allows the robot to perceive its surroundings via 360° perception using seven cameras, LIDAR, and microphones in the patented Omnisensor technology, distinguishing humans from objects and adapting behaviors accordingly. The robot features 'sensor skin'—a spray-on capacitive touch sensor covering hands, arms, and torso—that detects proximity, touch, and force intensity, enabling emotionally intelligent interactions and preventing collisions. Reports indicate a three-tier AI stack: small 5-6 million parameter models for rapid reflexes in limbs, a 500 million parameter model in the chest for local processing, and a 10 billion parameter cloud-based model for complex reasoning, powered by NVIDIA partnerships including Isaac Sim, Isaac Lab, and GR00T N1. Mechanically, 4NE-1 boasts powerful joint technology for lifting up to 100 kg with legs (220 lbs) and 10-15 kg with hands, speeds up to 5 km/h, and 25 degrees of freedom overall. It supports exchangeable forearms, a 7th axis for extended reach, wheeled variants for industrial floors, and hot-swappable dual batteries for 24/7 operation. Fine-motor hands are learning-capable for dexterous tasks. The Neuraverse platform acts as an app store for skills, allowing over-the-air updates for welding, assembly, cleaning, or cooking via developer contributions. Deployment history includes prototypes since 2022, with Gen 3 production-ready claims for 2025 shipments. Pilots target logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, and homes, backed by €120M Series B funding and partnerships with NVIDIA, SAP, Omron, Schaeffler, and HD Hyundai. NEURA's 'NEURA Hive' automated assembly enables scalable production. Despite no live demo at Automatica due to logistics, 4NE-1 positions Europe in the humanoid race, aiming for 5 million units by 2030 amid €1B order backlog rumors. Real-world tests in NEURA Gyms use physical AI training for robustness. Challenges remain in full autonomy, but its sensor fusion and cognitive stack promise versatile, safe humanoids for labor shortages.