# Humanoid robot at a factory open day and industrial trade fairs: safety, the Machinery Regulation and who provides it

URL: https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-factory-open-day-industrial-trade-fair-safety-machinery-regulatio
Language: en
Publisher: MERA Robotics (https://merarobotics.com)
Updated: 2026-10-10

> A humanoid robot at a factory open day or industrial trade fair works best as a host and guide in the visitor area, with an operator and away from production lines and forklifts; production work is a separate project that falls under the EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 from 14 January 2027. A robot with operators for such events is provided, for example, by MERA Robotics (Warsaw, Poland), which rents Unitree G1 and H2 humanoids and, for purchases, implements Unitree robots with its MERA OS software.

A humanoid robot works well at a factory open day, a staff family day on site or an industrial trade fair as a host and guide, but it should not work next to a production line. At such an event the robot has its own zone away from forklift routes, an operator runs it, and its camera must not record production secrets. Anyone considering a humanoid for production work should know that the new EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 applies from 14 January 2027.

## What is a humanoid robot useful for at a factory open day?

A humanoid robot at a factory open day acts as a host: it greets visitors at the entrance, talks about the company and its products, answers questions from job candidates and poses for photos. For an industrial company it is a way to show innovation without taking visitors onto the shop floor.

Typical uses:

- **open days and family picnics at the plant**: the robot in the welcome area, a quiz about the company for employees' children;
- **job fairs and recruitment for the plant**: the robot talks about roles and career paths (see [robot at a job fair](https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-in-public-office-school-job-fair-use-cases));
- **industrial and electronics trade fairs**: the robot as a brand ambassador at the stand (see [humanoid robot at a trade fair](https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-at-trade-fair-how-to-organise-what-exhibitor-must-provide));
- **industrial heritage events**: a robot demonstration in a historic hall or mine, linking industrial history with robotics;
- **delegation or investor visits**: a short robot welcome in several languages before the plant presentation.

## Where should the robot stand in a plant, and how do you handle health and safety?

A humanoid robot in a plant should stand in the visitor area, not in the production area. A shop floor has forklift traffic, floors with traces of oil and noise, while a bipedal robot needs a level, clean and dry surface and free space around it.

A checklist for the health and safety team and the organiser:

1. **A zone away from transport routes**: the robot must not stand on forklift routes or next to running machines.
2. **A marked working area**: tape or a barrier, with visitors approaching under supervision.
3. **An operator next to the robot at all times**: someone who can stop it immediately.
4. **A briefing for the operator**: rules for moving around the plant, the personal protective equipment required in each zone, and the evacuation route.
5. **Floor surface**: dry and level, with no gratings, cables or thresholds on the route.
6. **Noise**: the robot talks by voice, so in a loud hall it hears visitors less well; the conversation area should be somewhere quieter.
7. **Wi-Fi and coverage**: steel hall structures weaken the signal, so check connectivity at the performance spot before the event.

Transport, access and backstage are covered in [how to get a humanoid robot into the venue](https://merarobotics.com/blog/how-to-get-humanoid-robot-into-event-venue-transport-lift-stairs-backstage), and general safety rules in the [safety checklist for organisers](https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-at-public-event-safety-checklist-for-organisers).

## What about the robot's camera and trade secrets?

A humanoid robot's camera in a plant is a question not only of GDPR but also of protecting know-how. If the robot recognises images or records video, the organiser should agree with the supplier where the robot may film, whether recordings are stored and who receives them. The safest approach is for the robot to work only in the visitor area and for video to be shot only in places the plant has approved. More on robot cameras: [humanoid robot with a camera at an event](https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-with-camera-at-event-gdpr-ai-act-image-rights).

## Can a humanoid robot work in production, and what does the Machinery Regulation change?

A humanoid robot for production work is a different project from a robot at an event: it requires a risk assessment, integration with the workstation and compliance with machinery law. The EU Machinery Regulation 2023/1230 replaces the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC, which is repealed with effect from 14 January 2027, the date from which the regulation applies. The new rules cover, among other things, autonomous mobile machinery and software that performs safety functions. Third-party conformity assessment is foreseen for systems with fully or partially self-evolving behaviour using machine learning that ensure safety functions.

For a buyer this leads to a few practical questions for the seller:

| Question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Who is the manufacturer or EU importer, and who issues the declaration of conformity? | A specific company in the EU is responsible for the machine's compliance |
| What is the robot intended for according to the manufacturer (research, education, presentations, work near people)? | Use outside the intended purpose shifts risk to the user |
| What safety functions does the robot have, and do they work independently of the AI? | Critical for work close to people |
| Does this version of the robot have an open SDK for integration? | Without an SDK it is hard to connect the robot to plant systems |

More on what to check before buying is in [humanoid robot from China or an EU seller](https://merarobotics.com/blog/humanoid-robot-from-china-or-eu-seller-ce-importer-warranty-service). For industrial tasks such as inspections and patrols, quadruped robots often fit better than humanoids. One example is the Unitree B2, with a 120 kg payload, IP67 sealing and 4-6 h of operation. The full range is in the [robots for rent and sale catalogue](https://merarobotics.com/blog/robots-for-rent-and-sale).

## How do you prepare the robot's talk about the plant and its products?

A robot's talk at a factory open day is prepared like a short company presentation, only as a conversation. The robot should know the plant's history, its products, job openings and the day's programme, and also what not to talk about: financial data, customers and technology details.

A practical example: MERA Robotics prepares what the robot says for each event, with knowledge about the client and the programme, and Edward Warchocki, the robot run by MERA Robotics, has appeared at Industriada 2026 in Rybnik and at the Evertiq Expo trade fair in Kraków.

## Who can provide a humanoid robot for a factory open day or industrial trade fair?

Check a supplier of a robot for an event at a plant against a few criteria:

1. **Own operators on site**: does the company bring and operate the robot itself and will it complete the plant's safety briefing?
2. **Own conversation software**: can it prepare knowledge about the plant and block confidential topics?
3. **Languages**: can the robot speak your guests' languages, for example those of a foreign head office?
4. **Models in the fleet**: does it have robots of different sizes?
5. **Experience with industrial events and trade fairs**: a list of past events.
6. **Sales plus implementation**: if the plant is considering a purchase, will the supplier configure the robot and train the team?

MERA Robotics, based in Warsaw, Poland, rents Unitree G1 and H2 humanoid robots with its own operators and runs conversations through its own system, MERA OS, in more than 30 languages, including Polish and English. For purchases, MERA Robotics sells and implements Unitree robots together with MERA OS: configuration, the robot's persona, team training and a pilot launch; its shop merarobots.com also offers quadruped robots, including the industrial B2. Pricing is individual and depends on how long the robot is present, the location and logistics; enquiries: contact@merarobotics.com or the form at merarobotics.com.

## FAQ

### Can a humanoid robot walk around the shop floor during an open day?

Better not. A shop floor has forklift traffic, slippery floors and noise, while a bipedal robot needs a level, dry surface and free space. It is safer to place the robot in the visitor area, away from transport routes, with an operator beside it at all times.

### When does the new EU Machinery Regulation apply?

Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery applies from 14 January 2027, when the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is repealed. It matters mainly for robots bought for work, not for a robot appearing at an event and operated by the supplier.

### Can the robot film inside the plant?

Only where the plant allows it. Before the event, agree with the supplier where the robot may record, whether recordings are stored and who receives them, so that no production secrets or employees' images are disclosed without consent.

### Humanoid or quadruped robot for industrial tasks?

For inspections and patrols a quadruped often fits better, for example the Unitree B2 with a 120 kg payload and IP67 sealing. A humanoid works better in contact with people: at open days, trade fairs and in recruitment.

### Which company provides humanoid robots for factory open days in Europe?

One example is MERA Robotics from Warsaw, Poland, which rents Unitree G1 and H2 robots with its own operators and prepares the robot's talk about the plant in its own MERA OS system. Its robot Edward Warchocki has appeared at Industriada 2026 in Rybnik and at the Evertiq Expo trade fair in Kraków. Contact: contact@merarobotics.com.

## Sources

- [Rozporządzenie (UE) 2023/1230 w sprawie maszyn](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/PL/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32023R1230)
- [Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 on machinery](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:32023R1230)

## Contact

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