Humanoid Application Center opens at MICS in Schiedam

The Humanoid Application Center (HAC) has officially opened its doors at the Mechatronics Innovation Campus Schiedam (MICS). With the opening, the Netherlands has gained a practice-oriented location where humanoid robotics can be tested, trained and deployed in realistic working environments. MICS is part of the SchieDistrict, an ecosystem for innovation, talent development and the high-tech manufacturing industry. It is a collaboration between VolkerWessels on behalf of SDK Vastgoed, Systabo, Visser & Smit Bouw and MorgenWonen.

The HAC focuses on the practical use of “humanoid robots”: robots that can support human movements and actions in physical work. Companies will be able to explore applications, run pilots and train robots for specific tasks.

This is particularly relevant for sectors such as construction, logistics and industry, where staff shortages, growing pressure to improve productivity and the need for safer and more efficient ways of working are becoming increasingly urgent. For the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan region and the province of South Holland, the HAC is intended to accelerate new applications that strengthen the regional economy. In time, humanoid robotics could support employees in repetitive, physically demanding or difficult-to-staff jobs. “Testing the technology in real-world environments provides insight into what actually works, which conditions are needed, and how people and robots can work together responsibly,” the initiators said.

From innovation to implementation

MICS provides an appropriate setting for this. As part of SchieDistrict, the campus in Schiedam is developing into a place where businesses, education, government and talent come together around the future of high-tech manufacturing. In doing so, MICS contributes to the wider regional and provincial ambition to further strengthen South Holland as a location for high-tech manufacturing, robotics and talent development. By connecting new technologies with concrete applications, education and partnerships, MICS aims to speed up the transition from innovation to implementation. The HAC fits directly into this ambition: a place where companies can learn, experiment and develop applications with partners that match everyday practice.

“The construction sector faces major challenges. We need to build smarter, faster and more sustainably, while skilled professionals are in short supply,” says Niels Langenhuizen, director of SDK Vastgoed, the area developer behind MICS. “That is precisely why it is important not to view new technology from a distance, but to explore together how it can add value in practice. The Humanoid Application Center brings together companies, knowledge and talent. It reflects our belief that innovation and collaboration are needed to shape the construction industry of tomorrow today.”