Robot Safety at Public Events: A Planning Guide

A humanoid robot can appear safely at a public event when four things are in place before the doors open: a written risk assessment, a physical distance between the robot and visitors, a trained operator with a clear stop procedure, and staff who know what to do if the robot stops. The supplier is responsible for the machine and how it is operated; the organiser and the venue stay responsible for the event and the space. This is general guidance, not legal advice – for your own event, check with the venue, your insurer and, where needed, a safety adviser or lawyer.

Who is responsible for what

Responsibilities overlap, so write them down. The humanoid4rent safety page sets out the usual split: the supplier is responsible for the robot, its condition, its operator and the way it is operated; the venue for the space and its house rules; and you, the hirer, for describing the environment truthfully – how many people, what kind of audience, the floor and what else is happening nearby. It also recommends agreeing in writing who carries out the risk assessment and who signs it off. On most jobs the supplier writes it and the venue reviews it.

The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) describes risk assessment as the key tool for building an event safety plan, and advises organisers to check a contractor's competence before appointing them – for example a trained workforce, enough resources and a record of safe working. HSE also says the organiser coordinates all work on site without being responsible for every contractor's technical work, and should take contractors' risk assessments into account. HSE writes for Great Britain; rules elsewhere differ, but the logic is a useful starting point.

Why a robot needs its own risk assessment

A robot is a moving machine, and the riskiest moments are often not the show itself. The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) says it has no specific standards for the robotics industry, and notes that many robot accidents happen during non-routine work such as programming, maintenance, testing, setup or adjustment, when a person may be inside the robot's working range. At an event, that means unloading, rehearsal, battery changes and teardown, often while other contractors work nearby.

Unitree describes its G1 humanoid as having a complex structure and very strong power, and asks users to keep a sufficient safe distance between the robot and people. The G1 page gives no number for that distance, so the supplier has to define it for your layout.

Stopping a walking robot is also different from stopping a machine on wheels. The G1 user manual published by MYBOTSHOP, Unitree's German distributor, says the emergency stop puts the robot into damping mode and it slowly falls to the ground. NVIDIA's developer guide for the G1 adds that the robot has no built-in e-stop button, that its software safety controller does not fully replace one, that at least one person must be able to trigger an approved external stop at all times, and that nobody should try to restrain the robot physically. Wheeled robots behave differently: Aldebaran's Pepper documentation says Pepper cannot move while its power hatch is open, and warns people not to stand in its way when it leaves its charging station.

Distance: the exclusion zone

Ask the supplier how much space the robot needs to move, how far it could fall, and how the boundary will be kept: barriers, a raised platform, floor marking or a person whose only job is the boundary. Size the zone for a fall in the worst direction plus arm reach, not just the robot's footprint.

Large events treat this as normal: the rules for the 2025 humanoid robot half marathon in Beijing E-Town put robots and runners on the same route but on separate tracks, divided by barriers or green belts.

Floors, routes and stairs

Legged robots are sensitive to surfaces. The same G1 manual says its current walking mode does not support stair climbing, and that starting from a lying or squatting position is only suitable on flat, hard ground. Walk the route from the loading bay to the stand with the supplier: thresholds, cable covers, ramps and lifts. The venue checklist covers this in more detail.

Crowds and public interaction

HSE's crowd guidance asks organisers to assess crowd risks, put controls in place and monitor the crowd during the event. humanoid4rent's safety page notes that a crowd closing in is the most common cause of an emergency stop. Decide in advance whether visitors may touch the robot and say so on signage, plan a queue if the robot is the main attraction, and give one person on your team the job of keeping the front of the crowd behind the line.

The stop procedure and the emergency plan

HSE says organisers must have plans to respond to incidents and emergencies, that all relevant staff should know what to do whatever their normal role, and that it should be agreed in advance who can stop a performance. Apply that to the robot:

Who holds the stop, and where do they stand?
What does the robot do when stopped – freeze, sit down or fall?
Who tells the audience what is happening?
Who decides when the robot may restart, and after what check?

Is the robot itself compliant?

The European Commission explains that the new Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies on a mandatory basis from 20 January 2027, and that machinery placed on the market before that date must comply with the current Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. The Regulation adds provisions for safety functions that use AI and for the cyber-safety of safety-relevant software and control systems. The Commission also states that the CE marking can only be affixed after the required conformity assessment, and that voluntary certificates are not a recognised way of proving compliance. You cannot check conformity yourself, but you can ask the supplier for the EU declaration of conformity and the manufacturer's instructions.

Safety checklist

Risk assessment written by the supplier, reviewed by the venue and signed before the event.
Supplier's competence checked: trained operator, enough staff, safety record.
Exclusion zone sized for movement and a fall, and physically achievable on your stand.
Route and floor checked for steps, thresholds, cables and slippery finishes.
Stop procedure known: who holds it, what the robot does, who restarts it.
Touch policy decided and signposted; queue planned if needed.
Your staff briefed on the robot's zone and on what to do if it stops.
Battery changes and rehearsals scheduled away from visitors.
EU declaration of conformity and manufacturer's instructions requested.
Insurance certificate received (see insurance and liability).

If you are planning an event now, describe the space and the audience in your request so suppliers can quote with the right staffing and barriers.

FAQ

Do I need a risk assessment for a robot at my event?

In practice, yes. HSE treats risk assessment as the main tool for event safety planning, and the supplier should provide one for the robot. Agree in writing who writes it and who signs it off.

How far should visitors stand from a humanoid robot?

There is no single figure. Unitree asks users to keep a sufficient safe distance without giving a number, so ask the supplier for the robot's working envelope plus the distance it could fall.

What happens if the robot has to be stopped suddenly?

It depends on the robot. The distributor manual for the Unitree G1 says its emergency stop puts the robot into damping mode and it slowly falls to the ground, so the zone around a walking robot must allow for a fall.

Does the EU Machinery Regulation apply to my event?

The Regulation sets product rules for machinery placed on the EU market and applies from 20 January 2027; earlier machinery falls under the Machinery Directive. Ask the supplier for the declaration of conformity and check specifics with a qualified adviser.

Sources

How this guide was made: prepared with AI assistance; every factual statement was checked against the sources listed above on 12 October 2026. Spotted an error? Write to info@humanoid4rent.com.