Humanoid Robots Tested in Danish Supermarkets

Salling Group, one of Denmark’s largest retail companies, is testing humanoid robots to work night shifts in supermarkets. The project aims to automate routine tasks, such as restocking shelves, and reduce employees’ workloads.

Capitalistaz.com reports that the trials are taking place at a Føtex supermarket in Lyngby, near Copenhagen. Danish startup Hive Robots is training robots manufactured by Chinese robotics company Unitree.

Currently, the robots rely on human operators to place products on shelves and work more slowly than supermarket employees. The startup expects advances in artificial intelligence to improve their speed and accuracy.

According to the company’s plans, the robots could be able to restock certain products autonomously by early 2027. In the future, they may also collect empty boxes, identify missing products and check expiration dates.

According to Føtex, employees spend 40–50% of their working time restocking shelves. The company says the robots are intended to support employees rather than replace them, allowing staff to devote more time to customer service.

Føtex Operations Director Simon Kudsk said the company’s long-term goal is to have one or two humanoid robots in every store. However, deploying robots across all its supermarkets could take several years.