(2026-11-06, Tech Times — techtimes.com/articles · RobotsBeat — robotsbeat.com): E.ON, regional utility enviaM and German robot maker NEURA Robotics announced November 5 that they will train humanoid robots for substation and grid inspection, with first practical field experience expected during 2027 on MITNETZ STROM (enviaM's grid subsidiary, ~71,000 km of distribution network within E.ON's 1.6-million-km footprint). Training starts at TUM RoboGym, the 2,300-square-metre centre NEURA opened with TU Munich in October: grid specialists demonstrate tasks in sensor-equipped data suits, beside real robot data and simulation variants. The bet: NEURA's Neuron AI hears and feels faults — failing insulation emits ultrasonic partial-discharge sound a camera misses — beyond the visual/thermal rounds robot dogs, wheeled robots and docked drones already do (Avangrid's Connecticut Spot pilot; a Thai wheeled trial at two high-voltage substations). No robot count, site list, cost or success threshold disclosed; EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 applies January 20, 2027, with the release silent on safety certification; E.ON and enviaM keep control of their training data (Neuraverse).
