Neura Robotics CEO: Physical AI Will Take Every Physical Task Within Five Years

The timeline for the automation of manual labor is accelerating faster than industry analysts previously estimated. David Reger, the founder and CEO of German robotics firm Neura Robotics, predicts that physical AI and robotics will "take every physical task" within the next two to five years.

Speaking in a Bloomberg interview, Reger described the current pace of development in the field as both "tremendous" and "ridiculous." To support the scaling of this technology, Neura Robotics recently announced a Series C funding round of up to $1.4 billion. The capital is earmarked for the expansion of Physical AI and the construction of the "Neuraverse," an intelligence ecosystem designed to advance the capabilities of cognitive and collaborative robots.

The Shift to Cognitive Robotics

Founded in 2019, Neura Robotics specializes in cognitive and collaborative robots, representing a broader industry pivot away from static industrial arms. For decades, robotics in the workplace were largely confined to repetitive, pre-programmed motions in controlled environments, such as automotive assembly lines. However, the emergence of "cognitive" AI allows machines to perceive and interact with their surroundings in real time, moving them closer to the versatility of human labor.

This transition is part of a global trend toward humanoid and adaptive systems. For example, Japan has outlined plans to deploy 10 million humanoid robots by 2040, while new low-cost consumer humanoids, such as the Nori A3, are beginning to enter the market. These developments suggest that the infrastructure for widespread physical AI is being built across multiple continents simultaneously.

Implications for the Global Workforce

If Reger’s aggressive timeline proves accurate, the global labor market faces a disruptive shift in physical work much sooner than anticipated. The transition would likely move human labor away from manual execution and toward roles focused on oversight, maintenance, and creative problem-solving. While this could solve labor shortages in critical sectors, it also threatens to create economic instability in manufacturing, logistics, and eldercare, where manual tasks currently dominate the workforce.

What to Watch

While the funding and the CEO's sentiment are confirmed, the practical application of "every physical task" remains a high bar. Observers should monitor the rollout of the Neuraverse ecosystem to see if the company can translate its $1.4 billion investment into general-purpose robots capable of handling unstructured environments. Whether the technology can truly replace the nuance of human physical labor in under five years remains the central question for the industry.