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LG Electronics Nears First External Humanoid Robot Actuator Order

LG Electronics Nears First External Humanoid Robot Actuator Order

LG Electronics is moving closer to securing its first external customer for humanoid robot actuators, with the company confirming that it is currently in supply discussions with multiple global big tech companies.

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Baek Seung-tae, head of LG Electronics’ Home Appliance Solution division, disclosed the talks during a media briefing at IFA 2026 in Berlin on September 5.

LG has a meeting scheduled in October with one prospective customer to review production readiness and technical requirements. Baek said the company hopes to announce an actuator order shortly after that meeting, although no agreement has been confirmed yet and the potential customer was not named.  

Actuators combine motors, reducers, sensors and control electronics to generate movement at a robot’s joints. LG formally entered the market this year with LG Actuator AXIUM, using motor and manufacturing technology developed across decades of appliance production.

Initial AXIUM production is already underway at LG’s Changwon facilities in South Korea. The company is positioning the business as a B2B component operation rather than limiting the technology to its own robots.

LG is also developing a bipedal humanoid reference robot with NVIDIA, scheduled to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2027. The robot will use NVIDIA Isaac GR00T alongside actuators from LG Electronics, sensing technology from LG Innotek and batteries from LG Energy Solution.  

Separately, LG plans to begin deploying humanoid and wheeled robots at its own manufacturing sites, including its washing-machine factory in Tennessee and facilities in Changwon. The company previously said a wheeled robot would enter testing at the Tennessee production line before the end of 2026.

The prospective actuator contract remains under discussion rather than signed. The October meeting should provide the next indication of whether LG can convert its internal robotics push into a component supply business for other humanoid manufacturers.

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