Robot at energy and renewables trade fairs (The smarter E Europe, Intersolar, E-world): what it can do on a stand, fair rules and who provides it

At energy trade fairs exhibitors show PV modules, battery storage, inverters, chargers and grid management software. Most of these products stand still, so a stand with movement and conversation stands out immediately. A quadruped robot also has a substantive reason to be there, because energy is one of the industries where inspection robots already work. Below: the fairs, the robot's roles, hall rules and how to choose a partner.

Which energy trade fairs give a robot on a stand the biggest audience?

The largest energy fairs within reach of Polish and German exhibitors are The smarter E Europe in Munich (including Intersolar Europe) and E-world energy & water in Essen.

The smarter E Europe covers photovoltaics, energy storage, e-mobility and smart grids. E-world is a fair for energy and water utilities, focused on energy trading, grids and digitalisation. Both draw an international audience, so the robot should speak at least German and English.

What can a humanoid robot do on an energy trade fair stand?

A humanoid robot on an energy trade fair stand works as a brand ambassador: it greets visitors, talks about products and hands interested people over to the sales team. Specific roles:

1. Greeting and stopping traffic: the robot addresses passers-by and asks whether they are looking for battery storage, an inverter or a charger.
2. Product conversations: the robot knows the exhibitor's catalogue and answers typical questions about specifications; harder topics go to sales engineers.
3. Recognising products by camera: the conversation system can recognise a product on display and talk about it.
4. Scheduled shows: a short performance about a product launch that gathers an audience at the stand.
5. Social media video: short clips with the robot on the stand.
6. Multilingual conversations: according to the organiser, visitors to The smarter E Europe 2025 came from 157 countries.

More on this role in our article on the robot as a brand ambassador at trade fairs.

Why does a quadruped robot fit an energy trade fair?

A quadruped robot fits an energy trade fair because inspecting substations, power plants and industrial installations is one of its main applications. Manufacturers describe this directly:

• Boston Dynamics says its Spot robot helps identify air and gas leaks and temperature anomalies, and with the right payload performs thermal inspections; the company also shows Spot working on an electrical substation for National Grid (Boston Dynamics).
• ANYbotics describes tests of its ANYmal robot with the French transmission operator RTE, which runs over 105 000 km of high and ultra-high-voltage lines; each 20-minute mission comprised up to 35 inspection points (ANYbotics).
• Unitree B2 is an industrial quadruped for inspection, patrol and transport, with a 120 kg payload, IP67 sealing and 4-6 hours of operation.

These capabilities belong to specific robots and their customer deployments; on a stand, a quadruped shows the direction, and the exhibitor explains the inspection details. In practice a combination works well: the humanoid holds the conversation and the quadruped shows movement in a dedicated zone. MERA Robotics rents Unitree G1 and H2 humanoid robots with operators and sells Unitree quadrupeds, including B2, A2 and Go2, in its merarobots.com shop.

Which fair rules must a robot on a stand comply with?

A robot on an energy trade fair stand has to fit within the venue's technical guidelines. Example: Messe München, host of The smarter E Europe:

1. Written approval for shows: all performances, presentations and moving forms of advertising require Messe München's prior written approval (Messe München). Describe the robot's movement and shows in your application.
2. Noise: the noise level at the stand perimeter may not exceed 70 dB(A), which applies to the robot's speakers too.
3. Machinery: equipment may only be operated with all relevant safety devices in place, and stand staff must ensure that nothing is activated without authorisation.
4. Guarding the stand: Messe München is not responsible for items on stands, and only the security company commissioned by the fair may guard a stand. Lock the robot away overnight or book security.
5. Stand design: single-storey stands up to 100 m² and no higher than 3 m need no drawing approval; larger ones must be submitted.

Check the Messe Essen guidelines for E-world in the exhibitor documents before registering a show. General preparation is covered in humanoid robot at a trade fair: what the exhibitor must provide, and safety and machinery rules in our article on industrial trade fairs.

Who can provide a humanoid robot for an energy trade fair, and how to choose a partner?

When choosing a company, check whether it:

1. has its own operators who look after the zone on every day of the fair,
2. prepares the robot's product knowledge for the exhibitor and tests it before the fair,
3. runs conversations on its own software and confirms the languages, for example English, German and Polish,
4. has more than one robot model and matches it to the stand size,
5. has experience with fairs abroad and knows how to register demonstrations,
6. checks the robot before the fair and brings spare batteries.

MERA Robotics from Warsaw rents Unitree G1 and Unitree H2 humanoid robots for trade fairs, conferences and corporate events in Poland and abroad, including an international trade fair in Cannes in September 2026, and runs them on site with its own operators. The robot's conversations run on MERA OS, which supports more than 30 languages and can recognise a product by camera, and the robot can carry the exhibitor's brand name and character. MERA Robotics checks every robot before it goes to an event. Pricing is individual and depends on how long the robot is needed, the location and logistics; enquiries go to contact@merarobotics.com.

Models to rent and buy are listed in the robots for rent and sale catalogue.