A squat building on a bland business park just outside Rotterdam has become the unlikely home of sleek white humanoid robots and a grey robotic dog capable of performing canine-like tricks, as Europe races to close its widening gap in robotics with the United States and China.
The facility, known as the Humanoid Application Center (HAC), officially opened on July 2 as a collaborative hub bringing together companies, researchers and engineers to accelerate the development and practical use of humanoid robotics technology.
According to HAC chief executive officer Evert Jaap Lugt, the rapid progress in artificial intelligence is pushing humanoid robotics into a new era, where machines may soon become almost indistinguishable from humans at a distance of a few metres.
“In five years from now, you will not see the difference anymore between a human being and a robot if you are, let’s say, five metres away from it,” Lugt said in an interview with AFP, while humanoid robots moved actively in the background.
He also outlined a more futuristic vision where AI-powered humanoid “companion robots” could eventually replicate deceased loved ones, offering both physical presence and intelligent interaction within homes.
The centre’s main objective is to connect industry players with technical experts to explore how humanoid robots can be integrated into the corporate sector and real-world applications.
One business leader, real estate director Niels Langenhuizen, said he intends to deploy a humanoid robot at a construction site by the end of the year as part of efforts to modernise housing production in the Netherlands.
He said the country’s reliance on manual labour is holding back productivity targets, including plans to build 100,000 homes annually, adding that automation could help speed up construction, reduce costs and improve efficiency.
Lugt warned that Europe is falling behind in the global robotics race, with China dominating the sector and accounting for the vast majority of humanoid robot installations worldwide.
He stressed that Europe must urgently focus on adoption and practical use of robotics technology if it hopes to remain competitive in future economic models.
