“This robot can carry up to 15 kilograms, stacks and moves boxes, sorts products, checks temperature and quality in production, and thanks to advanced sensors and cameras it also works as a security guard,” said HIPROJECT director Urban Pevnik at the first public presentation of a humanoid robot in Slovenia.
The event drew exceptional interest from both the professional and the general public; every major local outlet and the national broadcaster RTV Slovenija covered it. The presentation was not only a technology event but a clear signal that humanoid robotics in Slovenia is finally moving out of development laboratories and into the real industrial environment.
A robot for places where a person should not have to work
The humanoid robot Max is designed for demanding industrial environments that are dusty, noisy or harmful to health, and for repetitive, physically demanding tasks that are not suitable for a person in the long run.
What sets the robot apart is its ability to change its own battery, which allows up to 22 hours of uninterrupted operation without interfering with the working process. The key message of humanoid robotics is not the replacement of people but relieving them, greater safety at work and better, more dignified working conditions.
That message echoed through the whole event. Robert Grah, director of the Pomurje Chamber of Commerce, stressed that robotics, automation and digitalisation are already becoming everyday reality in Slovenian production halls. In his words, the robot and the person must be colleagues, partners who help one another. A humanoid robot is therefore an extended arm of human and artificial intelligence, not its replacement.
Technology with no way back, but with a clear goal
The mayor of the City Municipality of Murska Sobota, Damjan Anželj, pointed out that artificial intelligence and robotisation are developing exceptionally fast and that there simply is no way back. The question is no longer the technologies themselves but the extent of their use and the way we, as a society, will know how to use them wisely. He stressed that humanoid robots hold great potential in the economy, and beyond it, in every sphere of life.
He was particularly pleased by the exceptional response of the public and the large number of young visitors, which shows that the future of technology also interests the generations who will help create it.
Can Max speak Chinese and cook lunch?
The event was further enriched by the presence of students from the secondary technical school, who showered Max with questions, from whether he can count and speak Chinese to more playful ones about whether he can hold a piece of iron and cook lunch at the same time.
Nataša Gerič Radonjić, director of the company Evitel, stressed that attendance exceeded expectations and that the visitors’ interest was genuine and exceptionally encouraging.
Questions like these show clearly how quickly the line between science fiction and everyday reality is disappearing.
Together on the way from vision to delivery
The event was held in cooperation between Evitel, an authorised partner of Telekom Slovenije, and HIPROJECT.
But the presentation in Murska Sobota was only one stop on this road.
The presentation of the humanoid robot Max showed clearly that humanoid robotics is no longer a distant future. It is a tool of the present. Used thoughtfully, it is one of the greatest opportunities for the development of industry, of the economy and of society as a whole.