The Robotics Challenge 2026 of the Transformation Hub Wiring Harness has been successfully completed. Companies, start-ups, and research institutions developed innovative robotics and automation solutions for the robot-assisted manufacturing of a hybrid wiring harness module. The challenge built upon the challenges of the Robotics Challenges 2024 and 2025 and, for the first time, combined several process steps into a seamless, automated process chain.

The developed demonstrators showcase different solutions – from AI-supported robotics and digital process chains to adaptive automation and new gripping and handling concepts. Together, they illustrate the potential that modern robotics, software, and digital engineering processes offer for the future of wiring harness manufacturing.

All results and solutions can be found on the subpage. Results of the Robotics Challenge 2026.

The challenge focused on developing a fully automated process chain for the robot-assisted production of a hybrid wiring harness module. This module consists of various single wires, a twisted pair, a coaxial cable, and a hybrid connector system, realistically reflecting key requirements of industrial wiring harness manufacturing.

In contrast to previous years, the focus was no longer on individual assembly steps, but on their seamless integration into a robust and automatable overall process. This brought digital engineering process chains, AI-supported position recognition, and process-reliable joining technologies into sharp focus, alongside flexible gripping technology and intelligent sensor technology.

For the first time, the Robotics Challenge was supplemented by an accompanying research and digitalization module. Digitalization partners provided the teams with standardized engineering data, digital wiring harness models, and software solutions, thus creating a common database for simulation, planning, and development of the demonstrators.

You can find all the information on the subpage. Accompanying research and digitization module.

The developed demonstrators were presented on June 17, 2026, at the Innovation Forum for Conductor Sets and evaluated by a panel of experts from industry and research.

The following were awarded:

• Technological innovation: Mowito Robotics Inc.
• Cost effectivenessInstitute for Machine Tools and Industrial Management (iwb), Technical University of Munich
• Robustness: Chair of Manufacturing Automation and Production Systems (FAPS), Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU)
• Mind hack Award: wemonte AG

The Robotics Challenge has been continuously evolving since 2024. While initially the focus was on individual assembly steps, the scope of the challenge has been gradually expanded. With its end-to-end process chain, the 2026 challenge represents another important milestone on the path to automated wiring harness manufacturing.

• Robotics Challenge 2024
• Robotics Challenge 2025

All details regarding the 2026 task can be found in the guide, which you can download as a PDF in the column on the right. The presentation slides from the two information sessions are also available for download there.