They wanted to ease the burden on the staff: They are testing humanoid robots on the night shift

According to Euronews, the machines developed by Danish startup Hive Robots and produced by Chinese company Unitree have been in training since June. For now, human operators direct each movement, helping the AI ​​learn how to handle different products.

The goal is to have robots stock shelves independently by early 2027. These operations will be carried out especially at night when the supermarket is closed. The trial is part of a larger trial with Salling Group, Denmark's largest retailer, which has more than 2,000 stores in six European countries.

According to Føtex, employees spend 40 to 50 percent of their time stocking shelves. The retailer hopes that over time robots will take over some of these repetitive physical tasks, freeing up employees more time to assist customers.

In the future, machines will be able to check expiration dates, detect empty shelves and identify misplaced products. But for now, robots still work slower than humans and need to be closely supervised.

Danish laws will also need to be changed so that robots can operate autonomously among shoppers. For now, the focus is on night work and assignments away from clients.