Germany’s New Robot Billionaire Bets Big on Humanoid Gyms 01

What if Germany’s robots went to the gym just like humans do? Instead of lifting weights or running on treadmills, they would practise picking up objects, assembling products, moving materials, and learning how to perform real-world jobs. It might sound like something straight out of a science-fiction movie, but a German robotics entrepreneur is working to make this idea a reality.

Meet David Reger, the founder and CEO of NEURA Robotics, a company aiming to transform the future of artificial intelligence and automation. With a multibillion-dollar valuation and an ambitious plan to build humanoid robots, Reger is betting on a future in which robots do more than follow instructions — they learn, adapt, and work alongside humans.

His most unusual idea? Building specialised training facilities known as robot gyms, where humanoid machines can practise the skills they need to work in the real world.

Who Is David Reger, Germany’s New Robot Billionaire?

David Reger is not your typical technology entrepreneur. Born in southwestern Germany in 1988, he developed an interest in engineering through practical experience rather than a traditional university education.

After completing an apprenticeship as a mould maker, Reger entered the robotics industry and taught himself many of the skills needed to develop advanced machines. His early experience helped him understand a major limitation of traditional industrial robots: most were designed to perform specific, repetitive tasks in controlled environments.

Reger believed robots could become much more useful if they could learn new skills and share that knowledge with other machines.

In 2019, he founded NEURA Robotics in Metzingen, Germany. The company’s mission is to develop what it calls cognitive robots — machines designed to perceive their surroundings, process information, and interact more intelligently with the physical world.

According to a Forbes report published in October 2026, NEURA Robotics reached a valuation of approximately $7 billion following a major financing round. Reger’s reported 20% ownership stake put the value of his holding at nearly $1.5 billion, making him one of the most closely watched entrepreneurs in Europe’s emerging robotics industry.

What Exactly Are Humanoid Robot Gyms?

The idea behind robot gyms is surprisingly simple: robots need practice before they can perform complicated tasks reliably.

Robot Artificial intelligence systems that generate text can learn from enormous amounts of information available online. Physical robots face a different challenge. They must understand how objects feel, how much force to apply, how to maintain balance, and how to move safely around people and equipment.

For example, picking up a car component is not as simple as identifying it with a camera. A robot must determine where to place its hand, how firmly to grip the object, and how to move it without dropping or damaging it.

This is where NEURA’s robot gyms come in.

These specialised facilities provide training spaces equipped with robotic systems, sensors, simulation technology, and tools for capturing movement data. Human workers can demonstrate tasks, allowing robots to practise repeatedly under controlled conditions.

Once a robot learns a particular skill, the information can be stored on NEURA’s cloud-based platform, called Neuraverse. The long-term ambition is to transfer those learned skills to other compatible robots, reducing the need to train every machine from scratch.

In simple terms, one robot’s experience could eventually help thousands of other robots learn the same job faster.

A Multimillion-Dollar Bet on the Future of Robotics

Building these facilities requires substantial investment. NEURA Robotics and its partners have committed significant funding to establish robot training centres, including a facility at Munich Airport developed in collaboration with the Technical University of Munich.

The university’s official announcement in March 2026 described a joint investment of €17 million in the TUM Robot Gym, a 2,300-square-metre research and training centre focused on AI-powered robotics.

The centre aims to bring together researchers, engineers, businesses, and advanced robotic systems to accelerate the development of machines capable of handling practical tasks.

NEURA is also pursuing opportunities to establish additional training facilities in Germany and other international markets.

For businesses, these gyms could offer a more practical way to experiment with automation. Instead of investing immediately in expensive robots and building their own training infrastructure, companies could potentially rent training space and teach machines the skills required for their operations.

This model could create a new business opportunity around robotics — not just selling robots, but also providing the facilities, software, data, and services needed to make them useful.

Why Germany Needs More Robots

Germany has a long history of industrial innovation, with companies such as Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Bosch helping establish its reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse.

However, the country faces a growing demographic challenge. As experienced workers retire and the working-age population declines, businesses may struggle to find enough people to fill essential positions.

Robotics could help address some of these shortages, particularly in manufacturing, logistics, and repetitive industrial work.

NEURA’s vision is to develop machines that can take on physically demanding or repetitive tasks while allowing human workers to focus on activities requiring judgement, creativity, and specialised expertise.

The goal is not simply to manufacture more robots. It is to develop an entire ecosystem in which robots can learn, improve, and become easier for businesses to deploy.

For Reger, this is also an opportunity for Europe to strengthen its position in the global artificial intelligence race rather than depending too heavily on technology developed elsewhere.

The Challenges Behind the Humanoid Robot Hype

Despite the excitement, the road ahead is far from straightforward.

Humanoid robots remain expensive, and their ability to perform useful tasks consistently in unpredictable environments is still developing. Demonstrating a robot carrying an object onstage is one thing; getting it to work reliably for an entire shift in a busy factory is another.

NEURA also faces strong competition from companies in China and the United States. Chinese manufacturers have made rapid progress in developing humanoid machines, while American companies are investing heavily in AI-powered robotics.

According to Reuters, the International Federation of Robotics estimated that approximately 7,000 humanoid robots were sold worldwide for industrial and professional service applications in 2025. Many were purchased for research and AI training rather than widespread commercial deployment.

This highlights the gap between the industry’s enormous ambitions and its current practical capabilities.

For NEURA, success will depend on whether its robots can move beyond impressive demonstrations and deliver reliable performance at a price businesses can justify.

What Comes Next for NEURA Robotics?

David Reger’s ambition extends beyond building individual humanoid machines. He wants NEURA Robotics to become a major platform for physical AI, connecting robotic hardware, intelligent software, training facilities, and shared machine skills.

If that vision succeeds, robot gyms could become an important part of the future automation industry. Companies might train robots for specific jobs, transfer those skills across their fleets, and reduce the time and expense involved in introducing new automated systems.

However, the business model still needs to prove itself at scale. The company must demonstrate that customers can achieve meaningful productivity gains and that robots can perform real work safely and consistently.

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Final Thoughts: Could Robot Gyms Change the Future of Work?

Germany’s new robot billionaire is making a bold bet: the next major breakthrough in robotics may not come from building smarter machines alone, but from teaching those machines how to work in the real world.

Through NEURA Robotics, David Reger is trying to turn that idea into a commercial reality. Robot gyms could help businesses train machines faster, share valuable skills, and bring physical AI closer to everyday industrial use.

The opportunity is enormous, but so are the challenges. Robots still have a long way to go before they can match human flexibility across a wide range of tasks.

One thing is clear, though: if Reger’s vision becomes reality, the gyms of the future may not be filled with people working out. They could be filled with robots learning how to do the world’s work.