Is Denmark the New Home of Robotics?

For most people, Denmark most likely doesn’t even come to mind when debating which country is currently making huge strides towards a very robotic and automated future, and who can blame you. A recent study has revealed however that Denmark actually incredibly ranks 7^th in the entire world for robot density, that being the ratio of automated robots per 10,000 employees currently in the manufacturing sector. Does this indicate that Denmark could be the new home of robotics development?

The country currently boasts a very impressive robotics scene which has drawn in world-renowned manufacturers and academies. Denmark on top of this regularly hosts many robotics events as well as tests for new technology. One major academy currently operating in Denmark is Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, which is a very high-tech research center admired all over the world. The research centers main goal is to create and innovate in the robotics world and this has led to the creation of companies like Universal Robots which looks to help society using robotics. This school is just one of a multitude of impressive academies working with robotics in Denmark.

Notable People in the New Home of Robotics

Some very notable Danish inventors include Per Brinch Hansen who is known for concurrent programming theory, Janus Friis the co-inventor of Skype and Jens and Lars Rasmussen, the co-founders of Google Maps! That’s not even mentioning many others such as Bjarne Stroustrup who created C++ programming language which is commonly used as the main tool by many programmers.

Many have stated that the reason for Denmark’s seemingly sudden progression into major robotics is due to Odense and its history. Odense is a city of 180,000 inhabitants on Funen which is a garden island detached from the country. The island is jam-packed with castles and manors and is recognized around the country for its cultural impact. It is a hotspot for robotics and has boosted Denmark’s robotics scene by an incredible margin.

Enrico Krog Iversen, CEO and founder of OnRobot said “In the 1980s, Maersk was the first in Denmark to use robots for welding, painting, and processing, and donated 10 million to the University of Southern Denmark to allow it to continue its research in robotics,” he continued “ Subsequently, the university attracted extremely competent and bright professors, which contributed to the progress in the research.”

One of the most remarkable things about this whole situation is Denmark’s size. Denmark has a population under six million and has often in the past struggled with industrial development. However, Denmark officials often state it’s the forward-thinking mentality, openness, and trust within one another that allows their country to thrive the way it does. Along with all of this, the education system is completely free allowing for a higher average IQ nationwide, meaning there is an accessible and flexible pool of workers to choose to hire from.