The topic of 'humanoid robots' is experiencing a real hype: hardly any other field of technology is currently as fascinating as bipedal robots in human form, which are supposed to act largely autonomously thanks to AI. Within a short space of time, expectations have been raised that can hardly be maintained at present. While start-ups are fueling billion-dollar ambitions with spectacular visions, industry experts such as Nikolai Ensslen, CEO of Synapticon, and Michael Mayer-Rosa, Head of Intelligent Robot Systems at Delta Electronics, are calling for a greater sense of reality. They explain why the industry now urgently needs a reality check.

This dynamic is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, the combination of AI breakthroughs, mechatronic advances and a shortage of skilled workers is rightly putting the topic in the spotlight and releasing energies that have only been dormant until now, especially in Germany. On the other hand, loud promises suggesting that humanoid robots will be walking through living rooms and factory halls virtually tomorrow are fueling far too short-term expectations. When - as recently in Munich - "the best robots in the world" are announced with much fanfare, but then never come or do nothing, then the trust of investors, customers and politicians alike is being put at risk too lightly.

In fact, important, tangible progress has been made in recent months: In the first logistics pilots, humanoid helpers are already carrying out thousands of pick & place cycles, inspecting factories, monitoring objects - and earning their maintenance money back per hour. Such deployments show what actually works today - and where improvements and developments still need to be made, for example in the generalization capability of AI, runtime robustness, energy efficiency, costs and functional safety.

Precisely because these successes are tangible and can be experienced in practice, the industry must of course not lose sight of the big vision. A universal robot that alleviates the labor problem in aging societies and relieves people of dangerous or monotonous tasks remains a legitimate and necessary vision. It inspires young talent, attracts investment and shows the public why robotics deserves a place in everyday life. Vision and enthusiasm are the indispensable fuel without which technological change would hardly come about.

But visions must not become false claims about what is possible today. Anyone who promises capabilities today that are still years away is not only jeopardizing their own credibility. Exaggerated claims obscure investors' view of feasible business models, cause customers to doubt the entire industry and create a climate in which people will soon be saying: "Another robotics bubble." The result is scorched earth - for start-ups, established manufacturers and society, which is urgently waiting for functioning solutions.

What is needed now? Above all, transparent and feasible roadmaps instead of quick fixes and smoke and mirrors. Companies that disclose what their systems really achieve today, which intermediate steps will follow before series production and which key figures - productivity, energy consumption, safety certificates - they want to achieve, create a reliable basis for decisions. Glossy videos are only convincing in the long term if they are flanked by solid data.

An honest risk/reward assessment is just as important. Humanoid robots can close important gaps in production and logistics processes and do indeed have the potential to solve the problem of skilled workers in many areas - but not overnight. Those who openly address cost benefits, maintenance requirements and regulatory obligations will prevent the overheating of expectations that caused previous robotics waves to break (too) early.

Thanks to world-class drive, sensor and safety technology, Germany's robotics scene has the opportunity to set global standards. Whether it seizes this opportunity now depends on whether it leaves the fairground of records and delivers reliable results - enthusiastically communicated, but soberly and solidly documented. This is the only way to create the trust that turns prototypes into productive solutions - and the great vision into a real contribution to the future of work and the economy."