Latest news„Women in Robotics 2026“: Kristina I. Schunk honored

The Inter­na­tional Feder­a­tion of Robotics (IFR) has recog­nized SCHUNK CEO Kristina I. Schunk as one of eleven “Women in Robotics 2026” world­wide. Since 2024, the IFR has used this initia­tive to honor indi­vid­uals who are making a major contri­bu­tion to advancing robotics and strength­ening future-ready indus­tries. “For me, robotics is not an end in itself. It is a tangible lever for making indus­trial work more produc­tive, safer, and more future-ready,” says Kristina I. Schunk. “It combines mechanics, soft­ware, and arti­fi­cial intel­li­gence – and trans­lates human and digital intel­li­gence into phys­ical value creation.”

The award also under­scores SCHUNK’s role as a pioneer and driving force in a dynam­i­cally growing robotics market. There is a growing demand for flex­ible, AI-powered automa­tion solu­tions. Robotics is evolving away from rigidly programmed systems toward networked, adap­tive plat­forms. SCHUNK is driving this devel­op­ment forward with a focus on indus­trial applic­a­bility – for example, through AI-based handling solu­tions or the further devel­op­ment of anthro­po­mor­phic grip­ping hands for humanoid robotics.

The goal is to make automa­tion acces­sible, reduce complexity, and enable stable processes. The focus is on indus­trial appli­ca­tions: inno­va­tion must always be cost-effec­tive and scal­able.