During the first Davos Tech Summit, more than 50 robots from all around the world are currently operating on the streets, in the shops, and in the mountains of Davos. ANYmal was named the best robot application, while Pudu FlashBot Max received the award for delivering the greatest social benefit: A high-profile jury presented the Robot City Awards yesterday at the historic Schatzalp. Eighty experts are discussing the state of the technology at the conference, and on Saturday, Family Day will make robotics accessible to everybody.
Since yesterday, around 600 international summit participants and numerous visitors have been exploring Europe’s first Robot City in Davos. Against the backdrop of perfect mountain weather, they are observing more than 50 robots from Europe, China, and the United States at work, offering a glimpse into what everyday life could look like in the near future.
Visitors are riding in autonomous shuttles, watching a robot extinguish fires, discussing product selections with humanoid robots in shops, and interacting with robots used in elderly care. On display are systems that monitor industrial facilities, mountain environments, and even Mars.
Sabor, Switzerland’s oldest remotely operated robot, has met Moya, the lifelike robotic woman who has left China for the first time to attend the summit.
ANYmal Receives Award for Best Real-World Robotics Application
Yesterday, a renowned jury of experts presented the Robot City Awards in the categories “Most Impactful Real-World Deployment” and “Robot for Society.” The awards provide a tangible showcase of the current state of robotics and its real-world impact.
ANYmal by ANYbotics was recognized as the best robotics application for its integration and use of inspection data within SAP. In the jury’s view, FlashBot Max, the delivery robot from Pudu, is the application with the greatest societal benefit.
And this evening, following the Robot March, the audience favorite “People’s Robot” will be announced. Visitors to Robot City are able to cast their votes via QR code.
The conference brings together 80 experts from organizations including Tohoku University, Disney Research, NASA, CERN, ABB Robotics, Siemens, ETH, and EPFL to discuss the state of the art in technology, cybersecurity, and ethics. One of the central questions is what role Europe should play in shaping the future of this field. Marco Pavone, Associate Professor at Stanford and Director of Autonomous Vehicle Research at NVIDIA, explains: «We are entering the era of Physical AI, where intelligence moves beyond the digital world to understand, reason, and act in the physical one. Robotics will be one of its defining applications, enabled by rapid advances in AI, simulation, and computing. It’s exciting to have a practical platform here in Davos to help accelerate this transformation.»
Family Day Brings Robots and People Together
All of these innovations will be open to the public this afternoon and tomorrow. Visitors can explore Robot City through guided tours, while Family Day on Saturday will offer a hands-on robotics experience, featuring workshops for children and young people, as well as food and refreshments for the whole family. Aude Billard, Director of the EPFL Robotics Center, whose research focuses on machine learning and robotics, explains: «The humanoid form of a robot is an important foundation for effective interaction with people. But we need to think beyond that, move away from the humanoid form factor, and fully explore the possibilities that technology offers. For example, robots could have eyes on the back of their heads, expanding the range of tasks they can perform and creating entirely new opportunities.»
The Davos Tech Summit is supported by a broad coalition of partners, including the initiators around the Davos Congress Centre, the Municipality of Davos, the cantons of Graubünden, Zurich, Solothurn, and Basel-Landschaft, as well as numerous private-sector partners such as NVIDIA, EY, Deloitte, and AWS. Without the Robot City partners and many additional supporters, this concentration of innovation would not be possible.
The organizers, led by Managing Director Tilman Eberle, look back positively on the first half of the summit and are hoping for strong participation at tomorrow’s Family Day.
The full program is available at davostechsummit.com, along with information about Saturday’s Family Day and photos from the summit so far.
Pictures for publication. Credit: Davos Tech Summit.
