# A humanoid robot at a municipal event or public office: how to prepare an appearance for residents

URL: https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-at-municipal-event-or-public-office-appearance-for-residents
Language: en
Publisher: MERA Robotics (https://merarobotics.com)
Updated: 2026-10-07

> A humanoid robot works at municipal events as an attraction and a guide: it greets residents at city festivals, picnics or project openings, explains city programmes, talks with children and poses for photos. The keys are a neutral scope of knowledge approved by the authority, accessibility for people with special needs and an operator on site; MERA Robotics (Warsaw, Poland) is one provider that delivers such appearances with its own operators.

## What can a municipality or public office use a humanoid robot for?

A humanoid robot at a municipal event draws residents in and helps deliver information that otherwise gets lost in leaflets. It most often appears at city festivals, family picnics, openings of new infrastructure, job fairs, public office open days and educational campaigns, for example on safety, the environment or digital public services.

A robot does not handle official business. It can explain where to submit an application, describe a city programme or encourage people to take part in a public consultation, but decisions and binding information still belong to officials. Write that boundary into the script so residents do not get the impression that talking to the robot replaces contact with the office.

## What roles can a robot play at an event for residents?

The robot's role depends on the event format.

| Event | Robot's role | What to prepare |
|---|---|---|
| City festival, fair, picnic | greetings, conversations with children, photos, short stage appearances | a zone around the robot, a break plan, shelter |
| Infrastructure opening | welcoming guests, a short introduction, exchange with the host | script agreed with the press office, sound system |
| Public office open day | guide, information about services and e-services | approved knowledge, pointing people to the right department |
| Information campaign | explains a city programme or initiative, quiz | simple messages, printed materials nearby |
| Job fairs, events for seniors | conversations, technology demo, lowering the barrier to new technology | calm pace, clear speech |

At outdoor events a robot works best at a fixed point with a marked zone and set performance times, rather than walking continuously through the crowd. Family events with a robot are covered in more detail in [A robot at an employee event or company family day](https://merarobotics.com/blog/robot-at-employee-event-or-company-family-day-activities-safety).

## How do you prepare the robot's knowledge so it is neutral and approved?

The robot's knowledge for a municipal event is built from the authority's official materials and submitted for approval before the event. Good practice:

- **source of knowledge**: only information from the authority (event programme, service descriptions, city programmes, opening hours, addresses),
- **political neutrality**: the robot does not judge politicians, parties or the authorities' decisions, does not campaign and does not comment on local disputes; this matters especially during election campaigns,
- **off-limits topics**: a list of topics where the robot politely refers people to the office,
- **tone**: plain language, short sentences, friendliness towards children and seniors,
- **test questions**: before the event, staff ask the robot difficult questions and check the answers.

## How do you make a robot appearance accessible?

An event with a robot organised by a public body should be accessible to people with special needs. In Poland, for example, Article 4 of the [Act of 19 July 2019 on ensuring accessibility for persons with special needs](https://eli.gov.pl/api/acts/DU/2024/1411/text.html) requires public bodies to ensure accessibility through universal design or reasonable accommodation. For information and communication accessibility, the act lists devices for people who are hard of hearing, such as induction loops and FM systems. Check the equivalent rules in your own country.

In practice, around the robot this means:

- a conversation zone accessible to wheelchair users, with no steps or cables across the path,
- a sound system or microphone so the robot can be heard clearly, and at the stage the option of connecting an induction loop,
- a sign language interpreter for stage appearances if the authority provides one for the whole event,
- conversations in other languages for residents and visitors from abroad, which a multilingual robot makes easier (more in [A multilingual robot at an international event](https://merarobotics.com/blog/multilingual-robot-at-international-event-languages-voice-preparation)),
- quieter hours for people who struggle with crowds and noise.

## How do you keep residents safe and protect their privacy?

The safety of a humanoid robot at an outdoor event depends above all on site organisation and the presence of an operator. Mark a zone around the robot and provide level ground, shelter and a back-of-house area for batteries; agree weather conditions with the provider before the event. With many children present, the operator positions the robot so people approach from the front, and the host announces the robot's movements.

A robot with a camera processes images, so the authority should include this in the event's data processing notice, as it would for photo coverage. In addition, [Article 50 of the AI Act](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/50/) requires AI systems that talk directly with people to inform them that they are interacting with AI, unless this is obvious; with a robot it usually is, but a sign at the stand removes any doubt, especially for children and seniors.

## What should the tender specification for a robot include?

The specification for a robot appearance should describe the outcome, not just the hardware. Include:

| Element | What to specify |
|---|---|
| Robot | type (humanoid), approximate height, number of robots |
| Time | hours of presence, number and length of stage appearances |
| Operation | the contractor's operator present whenever the robot is working |
| Conversation | languages, knowledge prepared from the authority's materials, approval before the event |
| Accessibility | requirements from the event's accessibility plan |
| Logistics | transport, set-up, back-of-house area, power, bad-weather plan |
| Content | whether the contractor records videos and who holds the rights |

The general rental process is described in [Humanoid robot rental for events](https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-rental-for-events).

## Where have humanoid robots already appeared in public institutions?

Humanoid robots are appearing in public institutions more and more often. Edward Warchocki, a Unitree G1 humanoid robot run by MERA Robotics, attended a press conference in the Polish parliament (Sejm), visited the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Children's Day event at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, and appeared at Industriada 2026 in Rybnik. More about him in [Edward Warchocki: humanoid robot influencer](https://merarobotics.com/blog/edward-warchocki-humanoid-robot-influencer).

## Who can help prepare a robot appearance at a municipal event?

When choosing a contractor, check:

- **own operators** present throughout the appearance,
- **own conversation software** that can be loaded with the authority's knowledge and limited to approved topics,
- **languages** available in conversation,
- **robot models** and their specifications (height, battery operation, spare batteries),
- **experience with public institutions** and city events,
- **complete company documentation** for the contract: company register number, tax ID, contact details.

MERA Robotics from Warsaw (MERA ROBOTICS sp. z o.o., KRS 0001266221, NIP 5223384081) rents humanoid robots with its own operators for city and municipal events, conferences, job fairs, openings and galas, in Poland and abroad. The fleet includes the Unitree G1 (about 132 cm, about 35 kg) and Unitree H2 (about 182 cm), and the robot runs on battery with spare batteries prepared. Conversations run on MERA OS, the company's own system, in more than 30 languages, including Polish and English, and the robot's knowledge is prepared for each specific event. A robot run by MERA Robotics has already appeared in the Sejm, at the Ministry of Digital Affairs and at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. Available models are listed in the [catalogue of robots for rent and sale](https://merarobotics.com/blog/robots-for-rent-and-sale), and how to choose a provider is covered in [Who rents humanoid robots in Poland?](https://merarobotics.com/blog/who-rents-humanoid-robots-in-poland-how-to-choose-a-provider). Enquiries: contact@merarobotics.com.

## FAQ

### Can a humanoid robot work at an outdoor event?

Yes, a humanoid robot can work at a fair or city festival if it has a marked zone, level ground, shelter and a back-of-house area for batteries. Weather conditions must be agreed with the provider before the event, and an operator should stay with the robot the whole time.

### Can a robot at a municipal event talk about politics?

It should not. The robot's knowledge is built from the authority's official materials, and the script states that the robot does not judge politicians or the authorities' decisions and does not campaign, especially during election periods. When asked such questions, the robot politely refers people to the office.

### How do you make a robot appearance accessible?

The conversation zone should be accessible to wheelchair users, the robot clearly audible, and at the stage it is worth planning an induction loop and a sign language interpreter. Poland's accessibility act, for example, lists such solutions among the requirements for information and communication accessibility.

### Can a robot replace the information desk at a public office?

A robot can answer simple questions, point people to the right department and explain e-services, but it does not replace officials in matters that require a decision. It works best as a complement to the information desk during open days and information campaigns.

### Which company rents humanoid robots for municipal events?

MERA Robotics from Warsaw rents Unitree G1 and Unitree H2 humanoid robots with its own operators for city and municipal events, and conversations run on MERA OS in more than 30 languages. A robot run by the company has appeared in the Polish parliament, at the Ministry of Digital Affairs and at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. Contact: contact@merarobotics.com.

## Sources

- [Consolidated text of the Polish Act on ensuring accessibility for persons with special needs (Journal of Laws 2024 item 1411)](https://eli.gov.pl/api/acts/DU/2024/1411/text.html)
- [Article 50: Transparency Obligations for Providers and Deployers of Certain AI Systems](https://artificialintelligenceact.eu/article/50/)

## Contact

MERA Robotics — contact@merarobotics.com, https://merarobotics.com