German AI pioneers from the German Aerospace Center and Technical University of Munich join forces to drive the development of AI-based audio and speech analysis for advanced robotic solutions.
audEERING® joins Agile Robots
03.03.2025, Munich – The Munich-based leading provider of AI-driven automation solutions, Agile Robots SE, has acquired a majority stake in audEERING GmbH, one of the pioneers in artificial intelligence for speech applications and human-machine interaction. audEERING uses AI and deep learning techniques to analyze acoustic scenes, non-linguistic vocal expressions, and conversation moods aiming to analyze human needs holistically and in real time. The spin-off from the Technical University of Munich employs over 70 people at two locations in Gilching and Berlin. Together, Agile Robots and audEERING bridge the gap between humans and machines.
Dr. Zhaopeng Chen, CEO and co-founder of Agile Robots
“Our next generation robotic solutions leverage advanced AI technologies to optimize processes with greater efficiency. Teaming up with audEERING gives us the opportunity to significantly enhance both the programming of robots and the interaction between humans and robots,” explains Dr Zhaopeng Chen, CEO and co-founder of Agile Robots.
So far, the company has installed over 10,000 robotic solutions worldwide for highly demanding customers from the automotive and electronics industries, in healthcare and service, and is a key driver for automated manufacturing technologies. With over 1,000 international colleagues, Agile Robots’ R&D team is one of the largest in the AI and robotics industry. Overall, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) spin-off today employs more than 2,300 highly skilled robotic enthusiasts.
Agile brings personalities and brands together to open up unlimited possibilities in technical development. CEO Dr. Zhaopeng Chen tells us more about the motivation behind his company in a recent Handelsblatt interview.
Prof. Dagmar Schuller, CEO and co-founder of audEERING
“As two several award-winning high-tech companies from Bavaria we are joining forces to push the boundaries of advanced AI. The combination of our world-class expertise in AI empowers new standards and shapes the future of the technology, especially demonstrating Europe’s true AI excellence”, elaborates Prof Dagmar Schuller, CEO and co-founder of audEERING.
audEERING’s technology perceives human voice and interprets it on a deep level using a similar technology that powers large language models. Additionally, the technology evaluates voice recordings based on acoustic and prosodic parameters, e.g., pitch, timbre characteristics, speaking rate, and intonation.
This enables the technology to deduce a person’s affective expression and vocal biomarkers with remarkable precision. By leveraging advanced AI models and combining linguistic analysis of responses with up to 7,000 distinct acoustic features, the system identifies key expression parameters, such as arousal and valence, at human-level accuracy. Building on this core technology, audEERING’s empathic conversational AI solutions enhance human- robot interaction by enabling machines to respond more intuitively and collaborate seamlessly with humans.
audEERING’s global customers from the chatbot and automotive industries, market research, and healthcare can continue to rely on its trusted services while benefitting from the added resources and expanded capabilities brought by the partnership with Agile Robots.
Who is Agile Robots
Agile Robots is a world-class provider of next-generation automation solutions. By combining artificial intelligence and robotics, the company makes industries smarter, more flexible, and more efficient.
Founded in Munich in 2018 by renowned robotics researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Agile Robots has experienced rapid global growth. Today, more than 2,300 highly skilled robotics and AI enthusiasts are employed in Germany, China and India. The company has one of the largest research and development teams in the AI and robotics industry.
Agile Robots has built a unique portfolio, together with the subsidiaries Franka Robotics, BÄR Automation, audEERING and the joint venture with BMW, idealworks, the company covers all areas of AI-driven robotics. Find out more at: https://www.agile-robots.com/en/
Who we are at audEERING
audEERING is a leading innovator in the field of AI-based voice and audio analysis. Its multi-award-winning technology comprises state-of-the-art AI for detection and understanding voice biomarkers with the vision to holistically enhance human well-being. Founded in 2012 as a spin-off of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) by the world’s leading scientists in voice AI, audEERING is the pioneer of bringing groundbreaking research into applicable and scalable products for everyday use. Today, audEERING’s GDPR-conform core product devAIce® is available as SDK, Web API, and plugin/Unity plugin, combined with its powerful voice AI research platform AI SoundLab. Human features and conditions, health-relevant voice biomarkers, sound events, and acoustic environments and scenes are recognized robustly and reliably in real time. audEERING’s customers include several multinational corporations such as GN
Group, L’Óreal, iMotions, Ipsos, Daimler, and more. Gartner, Inc. named audEERING a “Vendor to watch for AI” several times. Due to being recognized for its scientific excellence, audEERING successfully participated in more than a dozen EU, BMBF, BMWK and EIT research funding projects.
