OP-ED: In the Netherlands, a hangar full of humanoid robots to counter China

Don’t Run the Same Race—Choose Your Own Playing Field

Faced with such a significant lag in the manufacturing and development of the robots themselves, Evert Jaap Lugt proposes a different approach for Europe: focusing on applications and adoption rather than on raw production. “We’re behind. The only opportunity we likely have is to focus on the applications and adoption of this technology. Perhaps we can gain an advantage in that area,” he explains.

This strategy involves not attempting to compete directly with Chinese and American giants in robot manufacturing—a field where the industrial gap is already considerable—but rather becoming experts in the smart integration of these machines into the concrete business processes of European companies.

A Identified Bottleneck: Knowledge, Not Technology

According to Bright.nl, the center is based on a key observation: the main obstacle to the adoption of humanoid robots in Europe is not so much the technology itself—which is advancing at breakneck speed thanks to artificial intelligence—but rather the lack of practical knowledge, implementation experience, and technical skills among European companies.

This is an important and often overlooked nuance in the technology debate: sometimes, it’s not the machines that are lacking, but people trained to know how to use them—and it is precisely this gap that this Dutch center is trying to fill.

A variety of brands on the center’s floor

The center hosts robots from several well-known manufacturers in the industry, including UBTech, Agibot, Unitree, Boston Dynamics, and EngineAI, according to information reported by Bright.nl. This diversity allows visiting companies to make a concrete comparison of each model’s capabilities before making an investment decision.

A notable point highlighted by the Dutch media outlet: the selection of robots on site is not based on sponsorship agreements with manufacturers, but solely on each robot’s suitability for solving a specific industrial problem. This approach is intended to ensure technical neutrality in a sector where commercial interests are significant.

A Place to Experiment, Not to Applaud

The center allows visitors to literally walk among moving robots performing real-world tasks, rather than simply watching a static demonstration. Experiments, pilot projects, and various tests can be conducted there directly by interested companies.

The decision to resist turning this center into a marketing showcase in favor of raw experimentation is one that is sorely lacking in a technology sector often more adept at spectacle than at providing concrete proof of value.

Prefab Homes in Short Supply

Niels Langenhuizen, CEO of a company specializing in the construction of prefabricated homes designed to alleviate the housing crisis in the Netherlands, plans to introduce his first humanoid robot to one of his construction sites by the end of the year, according to Reuters. His company is currently facing a structural limitation: it relies entirely on human labor.

“As long as we rely on manual labor, we’ll never achieve 24-hour continuous production, and we’ll never reach 100,000 homes a year,” explains Langenhuizen, referring to the Dutch government’s annual housing construction target.

Housing: A Real-World Test for Robotics

“We need humanoid robots to accelerate this process, making housing more affordable, more flexible, and faster,” adds the executive. This concrete example perfectly illustrates the center’s rationale: not to sell an abstract technological dream, but to solve a very real economic and social problem—the housing crisis affecting the Netherlands and several other European countries.

Linking a humanoid robot to the housing crisis rather than to a science-fiction fantasy is exactly the kind of concrete application that could convince skeptical entrepreneurs to finally invest in this technology.

Becoming the European leader in humanoid robotics

According to Bright.nl, the center has set a specific long-term goal: to become, by 2033, the leading European hub where companies learn to understand, build, and deploy humanoid robotics on a large scale. This ambition goes far beyond simply serving as a regional technology showcase.

The numerical targets announced for this deadline are ambitious: more than 100 active companies involved in the center’s ecosystem, more than 1,000 professionals trained in the use of this technology, and millions of hours of work performed jointly by humans and machines.

A Commitment to Training as Much as to the Machines

Beyond the robots themselves, the center plans to offer training programs for engineers, managers, and other professionals who will need to learn how to integrate these machines into their daily work processes. This educational aspect is presented as just as central as the physical presence of the robots on site.

Focusing on training as much as on the machines means acknowledging a simple truth that many technological initiatives overlook: a robot without skilled personnel to operate it is nothing more than an expensive object gathering dust.

Companion Robots to Fill the Void

In a more speculative statement reported by Reuters, Evert Jaap Lugt envisions a future where lost loved ones could be replaced in the home by humanoid companion robots—designed to look and behave like the deceased, equipped with powerful artificial brains powered by artificial intelligence.

“Within five years, you won’t be able to tell the difference between a human being and a robot if you’re, say, five meters away from it,” says the executive—a bold prediction that illustrates just how blurred the line between humans and machines could become in the near future.

Between Promise and Ethical Dizziness

This vision, as technically fascinating as it may be, raises significant ethical questions about grief, identity, and the role of technology in the most intimate moments of human life. The Dutch center does not claim to resolve these issues, but the mere fact that its own director is raising them publicly shows just how much humanoid robotics is poised to move beyond the industrial sphere.

There is something dizzying, almost uncomfortable, about the idea of a robot imitating a departed loved one; technology can solve many practical problems, but it should never claim to replace the grieving process itself.

A Dependency That Raises Concerns Beyond Robots

Europe’s lag in humanoid robotics is part of a broader trend of the continent’s technological dependence on China and the United States, a trend already evident in semiconductors, generative artificial intelligence, and electric vehicle batteries. Humanoid robotics risks becoming a new chapter in this same story if no concrete action is taken soon.

The Netherlands’ decision to invest in an application center rather than a robot manufacturing plant reflects a realistic assessment of the current industrial balance of power. Rather than attempting to build a direct competitor to giants that have been established for years, the country is choosing to develop expertise in how to use these machines effectively.

A model that could inspire other European countries

If the Dutch approach proves successful, it could serve as a model for other European countries facing the same reality of lagging behind Asian and American robotics giants. A coordinated strategy at the European Union level, supported by several similar application centers, could significantly strengthen the continent’s negotiating position in this global technology race.

Without such coordination, each country risks repeating limited efforts in isolation, without ever reaching the critical mass needed to truly compete with the already highly advanced Chinese and American industrial ecosystems.

A single hangar in Schiedam will never be enough to overturn such a lopsided balance of power; but if this Dutch initiative inspires a dozen or so other similar centers across Europe, the situation could gradually change.

A Delay Acknowledged Rather Than Denied

The Humanoid Application Center in Schiedam does not claim to be able to catch up in just a few years to the massive industrial lead held by China, which alone accounts for 85% of the world’s humanoid robot installations. Its strategy is different: to transform a structural weakness into a strategic opportunity by focusing on smart integration and practical adoption rather than on the race to manufacture.

This choice reflects a rare clarity of vision in the European technology debate, which is often torn between denying the gap and fatalism in the face of Asian and American giants. Publicly acknowledging, as Evert Jaap Lugt does, that Europe is lagging behind while proposing a concrete action plan is a stance that deserves to be commended.

A Decisive Test for Europe’s Economic Future

If the Schiedam experiment succeeds in demonstrating that companies like Niels Langenhuizen’s can truly transform their productivity thanks to these machines, it could become a model replicable elsewhere in Europe. If not, it will remain an isolated symbol of a laudable but insufficient ambition in the face of the scale of the technological challenge posed by China and the United States.

The real test will not take place in this hangar in Schiedam, but in the years to come, when we will see whether Europe has used this late start to build something solid, or whether it has simply acknowledged its lag without ever truly closing the gap.

By Maxime Marquette, columnist