Netherlands opens humanoid robot center to overtake China
English translation from Unibot. Source published 2026-07-03.
In a drab business park near Rotterdam, a center has opened where white humanoid robots scurry around next to a gray robot dog doing canine tricks. The new platform is designed to close the gap between Europe and the USA and China in robotics.
Center for joining forces
The Center for Humanoid Applications opened Thursday to bring companies, researchers and engineers together. The goal is to close Europe's gaping gap with the US and China in robotics.
The technology of humanoid robots is developing at a breakneck pace, and artificial intelligence is only adding fuel to the fire, says the center’s general director, Evert Jaap Lugt.
Forecasts for the near future
“In five years, you won’t be able to tell a person from a robot if you’re, say, five meters away,” Lugt, 66, told AFP. Meanwhile, androids were rushing behind him.
Lugt predicts a future where deceased loved ones are replaced at home by “robot companions.” They will look and act like a deceased person, but with an AI-powered superbrain.
Practical application in construction
The center aims to connect companies with technicians to use humanoid robots to solve problems in the corporate sector.
One of the bosses, real estate director Nils Langenhuizen, told AFP he plans to introduce the first Android to his construction site by the end of the year. His company builds prefabricated houses in an attempt to ease the housing crisis that is choking the Netherlands. But, according to him, the possibilities are limited by the fact that only people work.
“As long as we depend on manual labor, we will never reach 24-hour production and build 100,000 houses a year,” he says, referring to the Dutch government's goal. “We need humanoid robots to speed up the process, to make housing more accessible, more flexible and faster,” added 41-year-old Langenhuizen.
Race with China
Lugt said the HAC's mission is to kick back European resistance in the robotics industry, where China now reigns supreme. Robots of all shapes and sizes can be found everywhere in China, from hotels to shopping malls and factories. The country accounted for 85% of all global installations of humanoid robots last year, according to Barclays.
“Europe is almost nowhere to be found, as always with all the new technologies. And it's truly scary. Because we are talking about the future earning patterns of our society, says Lugt. - We're falling behind. So the only chance we may have is to look at the applications and adoption of this technology. Maybe we can get ahead here."