Danish supermarkets trial night-time humanoid robots for shelf restocking

At a Føtex supermarket close to Copenhagen, humanoid robots supplied by Chinese maker Unitree and programmed by Danish start-up Hive Robots are undergoing a night-time trial to automate shelf restocking. Since June, human operators have guided each movement so the AI can learn to handle a variety of products. The pilot forms part of a larger test with Salling Group, which runs over 2,000 stores across six European nations, aiming to cut the 40-50% of employee time devoted to replenishment.

While the robots currently operate more slowly than staff and need supervision, the retailer envisions them eventually checking expiry dates, spotting empty or misplaced items, and freeing workers to focus on customer service. Legal changes would be required before the machines could work autonomously among shoppers, so the focus remains on after-hours tasks away from customers.