- Partnering for intelligent energy infrastructure: E.ON, enviaM and NEURA are developing Physical AI for inspections, asset monitoring and support for skilled workers carrying out potentially hazardous, physically demanding and repetitive tasks
- Neuraverse connects training and deployment: E.ON and enviaM are joining TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA, where robotic skills are developed using human demonstrations, real-world robot data and simulations, and made available for subsequent deployment
- From training to the grid: Pilot partner MITNETZ STROM, the enviaM Group’s grid subsidiary and one of the largest regional distribution system operators in eastern Germany, expects to gain initial practical experience during 2027
Metzingen, 05 November 2026: NEURA Robotics, E.ON and enviaM are partnering to develop Physical AI for critical energy infrastructure and progressively deploy it in practice. Using Neuraverse, NEURA’s open Physical AI platform, the partners aim to develop practical applications for grid operations, from inspecting and monitoring technical assets to supporting potentially hazardous, physically demanding or repetitive tasks. Relevant robotic skills will first be trained and tested at TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA, one of the world’s largest scientific robotics training centres. MITNETZ STROM, the pilot partner and the enviaM Group’s grid subsidiary, will then test initial applications in real-world grid operations.
“Physical AI and cognitive robotics will fundamentally reshape the energy sector. The key is to combine technological progress with the practical expertise of the people who operate our energy infrastructure every day. That is precisely where we come in: with Physical AI that supports these people and opens up new possibilities for them,” says David Reger, Founder and CEO of NEURA Robotics. “Together with E.ON and enviaM, we want to make this expertise available to intelligent machines through Neuraverse. Robots will learn in our NEURA Gyms and then apply their skills where they can ease people’s workloads and improve safety. Our shared ambition goes beyond deploying individual robots: we want to create a scalable foundation for Physical AI in critical infrastructure, developed and trained in Europe.”
For E.ON, too, the partnership marks an important step towards the future. “The energy transition needs strong grids, and strong grids need innovation. Together with enviaM and NEURA Robotics, we are demonstrating how innovation translates into practical grid operations – and how digital technologies can improve safety, make processes more efficient and create smarter, more resilient energy infrastructure,” says Stefan Padberg, Senior Vice President Innovation at E.ON.
“Electricity grids are the backbone of our society. They face greater demands than ever: electrification and the transformation of the energy supply require power lines and assets to be expanded, modernised and continuously monitored. This partnership brings next-generation technology to where it can deliver tangible value – day-to-day grid operations,” says Stephan Lowis, CEO of the enviaM Group. “Our employees carry out demanding work with a high level of responsibility every day. Humanoid robots can provide targeted support, particularly for physically demanding tasks or those with specific safety requirements. They can take on routine tasks and work in potentially hazardous areas, allowing skilled workers to focus on the tasks that require their expertise. We expect to gain initial practical experience during 2027.”
From RoboGym to grid operations via Neuraverse
To jointly develop robotic skills for grid operations, E.ON is joining TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA, which NEURA Robotics and the Technical University of Munich (TUM) opened at LabCampus at Munich Airport in October 2026. Covering more than 2,300 square metres, the centre brings together research, robot training and industrial applications. Companies from more than ten industries are already training robots to perform specific workflows there; E.ON now brings the energy sector into the mix. The initial focus will be on selected tasks such as inspections, monitoring critical assets including substations, and supporting site security. Tasks in potentially hazardous environments will also be assessed as possible applications. The skills will first be developed under controlled conditions before being tested with MITNETZ STROM in real-world grid operations.
Building a new infrastructure for Physical AI together
At the outset of the partnership, interdisciplinary teams from E.ON, MITNETZ STROM and NEURA will identify specific use cases in grid operations. Skilled workers will contribute their experience and requirements, while NEURA will work with them to develop the necessary robotic skills and provide the training and software infrastructure through the NEURA Gym and Neuraverse. Insights from the tests will inform the further development of both the skills and the platform. The partners are thus creating an approach that goes beyond a one-off demonstration and is intended to enable repeatable, scalable Physical AI applications in energy infrastructure over the long term.
How does a robot learn to inspect an asset that, until now, only experienced specialists have been familiar with? The NEURA Gym combines three approaches to gaining physical experience:
- Human demonstrations: Grid operations specialists demonstrate their workflows. Sensor-equipped suits, motion capture systems and teleoperation make their practical expertise available for training.
- Real-world robot data: Robots perform the tasks, while their sensors record movements, physical contact and the outcomes of their actions.
- Simulation and Data Amplifier: Virtual training environments build on real-world experience with additional variations and scenarios. The skills are then validated on real robots.
Robots learn with Neuron AI, NEURA’s multimodal foundation model for Physical AI, which combines 3D vision, touch, audio, robot state and language, as well as memory. This can make a difference in inspection tasks: a robot captures not only what it sees, but also what it hears and feels. Grid facilities are built for people, with stairs, doors, control cabinets and tools. In future, humanoid robots such as NEURA’s 4NE1 will be able to navigate these environments without requiring modifications to the facilities. This will allow them to access areas previously out of reach for conventional machines.
Neuraverse, NEURA’s open Physical AI platform, provides the central link between training and subsequent deployment. It connects robots, AI models, developers and industry partners, enabling trained skills to be managed, deployed and progressively refined. The aim is for an individual application trained in the NEURA Gym to become a reusable skill for compatible robots and additional deployment sites. E.ON and enviaM always retain control of their own data and trained skills and decide for themselves whether, and with whom, to share them.
Further information on TUM RoboGym powered by NEURA: https://neura-robotics.com/neuragym/
About E.ON
E.ON is one of Europe’s largest energy companies and operates in the areas of energy networks, energy infrastructure solutions and energy retail. The company operates a distribution network of 1.6 million kilometres and serves around 47 million customers. E.ON invests in expanding and modernizing energy infrastructure and in solutions for residential, business and industrial customers. Around 78,000 employees strive every day to make new energy work. More information at www.eon.com.
About NEURA Robotics
NEURA was founded on the conviction that the next great technological revolution will not take place on screens, but in the physical world. As aging societies, labor shortages and the growing demand for skilled work reshape economies worldwide, Physical AI is becoming indispensable to safeguarding productivity, prosperity and quality of life.
Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Metzingen, Germany, NEURA Robotics is a global Physical AI company developing the technologies that enable intelligent machines to learn, adapt and work side by side with people in the real world. The company develops cognitive robots that can see, hear, feel and learn, as well as the software, AI and data infrastructure required to deploy them at scale.
A large share of global gross domestic product is generated today through physical work. NEURA’s mission is to make physical work scalable, drastically shortening the time it takes to teach machines new skills and deploy them worldwide. With its cognitive robots, the NEURA Gyms and the Neuraverse, an open ecosystem in which robots continuously learn and share skills, the company is building the foundation for a future in which intelligent machines help to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges. NEURA Robotics builds Physical AI from Europe, together for the world.
About the enviaM Group
The enviaM Group is one of the leading regional infrastructure and energy service providers in eastern Germany. The group supplies approximately 1.1 million customers with electricity, gas, heat and energy services. The group, which employs approximately 4,500 people, includes envia Mitteldeutsche Energie AG (enviaM) in Chemnitz, as well as other companies in which enviaM holds a majority stake. The principal shareholder of enviaM is E.ON SE. The remaining shares are held by approximately 650 municipalities in eastern Germany, either directly or through holding companies.
Mitteldeutsche Netzgesellschaft Strom mbH (MITNETZ STROM), headquartered in Kabelsketal, is a wholly owned subsidiary of envia Mitteldeutsche Energie AG (enviaM). As the largest regional electricity distribution network operator in eastern Germany, the company is responsible for the planning, operation and commercial management of the enviaM power grid. The distribution network managed by MITNETZ STROM has a total length of approximately 71,000 kilometres and covers parts of Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia.
Media contacts:
E.ON: Kai Robert Blum, M: [email protected], T: +49 162 4316585
NEURA Robotics: M: [email protected]
enviaM-Gruppe: Evelyn Zaruba, M: [email protected], T: +49 173 5619559
This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by the management of the E.ON Group and other information currently available. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the company’s actual results, financial position, development or performance to differ materially from the assessments expressed here. E.ON SE neither intends nor assumes any obligation to update such forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments.
