Question 1

What is Hive Robots?

Accepted Answer

Hive Robots is Denmark's leading humanoid robot workforce solutions company. We help companies and organisations deploy humanoid technology to solve real business tasks and challenges.

Question 2

What does Hive Robots do?

Accepted Answer

We collaborate with companies to identify where humanoid robots can create real business value. We offer a broad range of services and solutions, including structured proof-of-concept programmes, robot-as-a-service solutions, and custom humanoid robot skill development.

Question 3

Which humanoid robots does Hive Robots work with?

Accepted Answer

Hive Robots is the authorised distributor and reseller of Unitree Robotics humanoid robots, including the famous G1 and H2 models, in Denmark and Scandinavia. We also collaborate with NEURA Robotics from Germany and a broader portfolio of hardware producers for specific enterprise use cases. Our solutions aim to be hardware agnostic.

Question 4

What services does Hive Robots offer?

Accepted Answer

Hive Robots offers proof-of-concept (PoC) programmes that generate real operational data and show what humanoids can do for your company. We also engage in strategic, longer-term partnerships to develop custom software and projects for enterprise clients. Other services include humanoid sales and consultation services.

Question 5

What makes Hive Robots different from other robotics companies?

Accepted Answer

We are firmly focused on humanoid robots and provide flexible, fully covering solutions across humanoids, software, trialling, installation, monitoring, and ongoing support. We are the perfect partner for structured humanoid PoC programmes and strategic partnerships at scale, providing a unique deployment experience in the Nordic market.

Question 6

What is a humanoid robot?

Accepted Answer

A humanoid robot looks and moves like a human. Thanks to their form and capabilities, humanoid robots can navigate environments designed for people, use various tools and equipment, and perform a wide range of tasks without requiring a purpose-built workspace.

Question 7

How is a humanoid robot different from an industrial robot?

Accepted Answer

Industrial robots are usually fixed, single-purpose machines, like a welding arm in a factory. Their advantage is speed and precision, but they cannot adapt to changing conditions or easily perform multiple tasks. Humanoid robots are far more flexible: they can move through almost any environment and perform multiple tasks. For businesses, a practical difference is that traditional robots require purpose-built lines, and you have to adapt your workflow and facilities to them. A humanoid robot can step into an existing workflow or environment.

Question 8

What is Physical AI?

Accepted Answer

Physical AI is a broad term that includes humanoid robots. In general, it refers to AI systems that can perceive, reason, and most importantly, act in the real physical world as opposed to AI that processes text or images on a screen. Examples include humanoid robots and driverless cars.

Question 9

What is a Vision Language Action (VLA) model?

Accepted Answer

A Vision Language Action (VLA) model is a kind of AI foundation model. These models power many humanoid robots today. VLAs combine three abilities in one system: vision (seeing and interpreting the environment), language (understanding spoken or written instructions), and action (translating understanding into physical actions to perform tasks). VLA models enable humanoid robots to receive an instruction like "pick up the box on the left and place it on the shelf" and actually carry it out.

Question 10

What can a humanoid robot do for my company?

Accepted Answer

Humanoid robots have almost unlimited use cases, and it really depends on your industry, company, and specific situation. In the shorter term, they are particularly suited for tasks that are repetitive, physically demanding, have high cumulative payloads, or are difficult to staff. Examples include shelf restocking, date checking, inventory scanning, warehouse picking, and some manual labour tasks in production and logistics. The list keeps evolving as the robots and their software improve.

Question 11

How much does a humanoid robot cost?

Accepted Answer

The cost varies significantly by model and deployment approach. For example, Unitree humanoid robots currently start at around € 10,000 for the R1 model. The general trend is lower prices from year to year. However, there are opportunities to integrate humanoids on a rental or as-a-service basis. Contact Hive Robots for a bespoke quote based on your specific use case and scale, or visit our shop to see our selection of humanoids.

Question 12

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

The best starting point is considering what a humanoid robot can do for you today and in the future. We are always available for a conversation about where the industry and the humanoids are heading. We offer easy-entry, six-month PoC programmes that enable you to work hands-on with the humanoid and get a clearer idea of what they can do for you and work with select partner companies on longer-term development projects that provide competitive, first-mover advantages. Contact us to hear more.

Question 13

How does a humanoid robot proof of concept (PoC) work?

Accepted Answer

Hive Robots' PoC is a structured programme designed to take you from idea to a robot performing real tasks — with a clear business case at the end. The first stage focuses on identifying and prioritising one to three tasks with the strongest ROI potential and aligning on scope and expectations. In the following stage, HIVE's engineering team builds, tests, and iterates on the agreed tasks in a fixed sprint cadence, with monthly live demonstrations so you see progress throughout. The final stage brings everything together: a full demonstration of all tasks, an ROI calculation, and a formal Go/No-Go recommendation on whether to proceed to a live pilot.

Question 14

What happens after a PoC?

Accepted Answer

The PoC concludes with a formal evaluation where both parties assess the results and agree on the path forward. There are three possible outcomes. If the results support moving ahead, the project proceeds to a live Pilot phase — a separate agreement covering real operations at your site. If there are specific technical gaps or scope changes that need addressing first, the PoC can be extended by mutual agreement. If the results do not support proceeding, the project concludes with a written exit report covering findings, learnings, and recommendations. In all cases, you leave with real operational data and a clear, evidence-based view of what humanoid robots can and cannot do for your business.

Question 15

What does a strategic partnership with Hive Robots involve?

Accepted Answer

A strategic partnership is for organisations that want to make humanoid robotics a long-term strategic investment, not just test a use case, but build capabilities that become fundamental to how they operate or compete. In practice, this means a multi-year collaboration in which Hive Robots works closely with the partner to develop custom robot skills tailored to their specific environment and workflows. The partnership includes dedicated engineering support, deep integration with existing systems, and continuous access to the latest developments in AI and hardware as they emerge. Because the field is moving quickly, the value of the engagement grows over time, as new technical possibilities open up that simply were not available at the start. It is suited for partners who see humanoid robotics not as a project with a defined endpoint, but as an evolving capability at the core of their business.

Question 16

Where can I buy or lease a humanoid robot in Denmark and the rest of Scandinavia?

Accepted Answer

Hive Robots is Denmark's leading provider of humanoid robots for enterprise use. Robots are available for direct purchase through the Hive Shop at shop.hiverobots.dk, or through a coming robot-as-a-service subscription for businesses that prefer a usage-based model. Companies in the rest of Scandinavia can also make use of the offers.

Question 17

How does a humanoid robot understand its environment?

Accepted Answer

A humanoid robot builds its understanding of its environment through a combination of cameras, LiDAR sensors, and AI perception models that process visual and spatial data in real time. During an initial mapping phase, the robot scans its operating environment and constructs a detailed spatial model that includes things like walkways, obstacles, shelving, and key locations. Once that map is created, the robot uses it continuously to localise itself, plan routes, and adapt when conditions change, such as when a new object appears or a person moves through its path. Alongside navigation, AI models also guide how the robot interprets and responds to what it encounters during task execution, connecting environmental understanding to physical action.

Question 18

How does a humanoid robot learn new tasks?

Accepted Answer

Humanoid robots learn new tasks through AI models trained on a combination of teleoperation and simulation. In teleoperation, a human operator demonstrates a task by controlling the robot directly, generating the data used to train an AI model, or policy, that the robot then uses to perform the task autonomously. Vision-language-action models (VLA) are an important part of this, enabling robots to connect visual input, language instructions, and physical actions in a unified way. Training also takes place in simulation, often in a digital twin of the specific environment where the robot will operate, allowing thousands of repetitions before real-world deployment. The result is a robot that can generalise from demonstrations and handle the natural variation it encounters on the job.

Question 19

What is the difference between a pre-trained robot skill and a custom-trained one?

Accepted Answer

A pre-trained skill is a capability the robot has upon arrival. Currently, this includes basic locomotion and simple poses and gestures, such as handshakes and waving. Anything beyond that needs custom training and/or software development. Hive Robots develops these skills specifically for a client's environment and tasks. In other words, pre-trained skills are a starting point and foundation, but without custom training and software development, a humanoid today will struggle to be effective in a specific operational context.

Question 20

How does Hive Robots use AI to develop robot skills for specific clients?

Accepted Answer

Hive Robots uses a VLA-based software platform to develop, train, and refine robot skills that match each client's specific environment and task requirements. Rather than relying solely on general-purpose pre-trained models, Hive Robots builds a layer of client-specific intelligence on top, meaning the robot becomes more capable and reliable the longer it operates in a given environment.

Question 21

Which industries can use humanoid robots today?

Accepted Answer

Humanoid robot use cases exist across industries. In the Nordic context, persistent labour shortages across many sectors make humanoid robots particularly relevant for businesses that cannot reliably fill operational roles through traditional hiring. We also see huge potential for humanoids in sectors such as retail, hospitality, pharmaceuticals, and some manual labour-intensive industries, and the list keeps growing as humanoids improve.

Question 22

Which tasks are humanoid robots best suited to right now?

Accepted Answer

Humanoid robots perform best on tasks that are repetitive and predictable, physically demanding or undesirable for people. The task should also be clearly defined and probably focused on environments already designed for human movement. Tasks requiring fine dexterity, complex social interaction, or highly unpredictable environments are perhaps better suited for later generations of the technology.

Question 23

Will a humanoid robot require changes to our existing environment or layout?

Accepted Answer

In most cases, no. The core advantage of the humanoid form factor is that is can navigate aisles, doors, ramps, stairs (later) and interact with shelves, tables, equipment and more like a human would. This is what distinguishes humanoids from traditional automation, which typically requires infrastructure redesign. In practice, Hive Robots conducts a site assessment before any deployment to confirm compatibility and identify minor adjustments to improve the robot's operational efficiency.

Question 24

How do I decide whether I need a humanoid robot or a traditional industrial robot?

Accepted Answer

The key question is whether your environment and tasks were designed for people or for machines. If you have a fixed, high-volume production line performing one or two repetitive tasks at speed, a traditional industrial robot is likely the right tool — it will be faster, more precise, and often more cost-effective. If your tasks vary, your environment is designed for human workers, you need flexibility across different workflows, or you cannot justify the infrastructure changes required by fixed automation, a humanoid robot is worth exploring. Hive Robots' discovery workshop and PoC offering are designed specifically to help you answer this question for your context.

Question 25

Can humanoid robots work alongside existing automation systems?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Humanoid robots are designed to complement existing automation rather than replace it. In a warehouse that already uses conveyor systems or autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), a humanoid might handle tasks that those systems cannot perform.

Question 26

Are humanoid robots safe to work alongside people?

Accepted Answer

Modern humanoid robots are designed specifically for safe human-robot collaboration. They use a combination of sensors, cameras, force-feedback systems, and AI-driven perception to detect people's presence and adjust their movements accordingly. However, due to "regulatory lag," with rules and regulations around humanoids still under development, they are currently deployed in spaces with no humans. This can include in stores and similar environments when there are no people around. When regulation and risk assessments allow, humanoids will be deployed alongside trained personnel.

Question 27

Will humanoid robots replace human workers?

Accepted Answer

Hive Robots views humanoid robots as workforce partners, not replacements. The company's philosophy is that robots should take on the tasks that are repetitive, physically demanding, and difficult to staff, freeing human employees for higher-value work. In practice, this means deployments are designed with the existing workforce in mind: robots are introduced alongside employees to take over tasks like those that can wear and tear on the human body over time. Training is provided for staff who will work with them, and performance monitoring is accessible to both operational teams and management.

Question 28

What happens if the robot makes a mistake or breaks down?

Accepted Answer

If a robot encounters an error it cannot resolve, it is designed to stop safely and flag the issue rather than attempt a response it is not confident about. The robot-as-a-service model is specifically structured so that maintenance responsibility stays with Hive Robots, not the client.

Question 29

What will happen to the price of humanoid robots?

Accepted Answer

Prices are falling fast and the trajectory is clear. Unitree's R1 model launched in mid-2025 at approximately €10,000 — a price point that analysts had not expected to be reached for several more years. Bank of America projects average prices dropping from around $35,000 in 2025 to approximately $17,000 by 2030 as production scales. With Tesla, AgiBot, and other manufacturers moving toward mass production, the cost-per-unit will continue to decline significantly over the next three to five years. For businesses entering a PoC now, today's deployment experience will be a significant advantage as costs reach mainstream levels.

Question 30

What does the future of humanoid robotics look like?

Accepted Answer

The sector is at a clear inflexion point. Around 16,000 humanoid robots were shipped globally in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research, and major manufacturers are scaling production rapidly toward six-figure annual volumes by 2026 and 2027. Costs are falling, AI capabilities are improving, and early commercial deployments in automotive, logistics, and retail are generating the real-world data needed to accelerate adoption. For Nordic businesses facing structural labour shortages, the question is no longer whether humanoid robots will be part of the operational workforce — it is when, and which companies will have the deployment experience to move quickly when the technology reaches scale.

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