Experts predict 100,000 humanoid robots in Denmark within ten years

Two experts on stage at Ingeniøren's Digital Tech Summit on 5 November predicted that Denmark will have 100,000 humanoid robots within ten years. The session opened the second day of the conference and centred on humanoid robots and robots in industry. Teknologisk Institut brought a Chinese-made humanoid robot onto the stage with the speakers and the moderator.

According to the article's teaser, the two experts agreed that the hype and interest around robots is enormous, and that this will be clearly visible in the future.

The reader comments on the piece show how the prediction was received. One commenter called for a democratic debate on whether remotely controlled, potentially dangerous machines weighing 45 to 100 kg should walk the streets. He compared this with the approval and certification rules that apply to aircraft and pilots, and asked who would be responsible and where robots would be allowed to move.

Another commenter raised cybersecurity. He quoted one speaker, an electrical engineer rather than a security expert, who said everyone should be worried and that most attacks today target outdated software such as old PHP. The commenter disputed that characterisation and suggested that new systems, including cheap Chinese robots, could easily have security holes. He argued that approval rules similar to those in the car and aviation industries may be needed.

A third commenter said humanoid robots will be only a brief phase, because industry will quickly switch to more optimal robot designs developed with AI.