ODENSE: Do not be surprised when a robot hands over a shuttle to their local hero and world No. 1 men’s singles shuttler Viktor Axelsen and to all other world-class players at the Denmark Open starting today.
Not only that, robots will also carry these players’ bags on to the court in Odense. They will also distribute magazines and serve drinks.
In fact, these collaborative robots or cobots will be seen everywhere in Odense as one of the top badminton tournaments gets underway this week.
This week is also Week of Robotics, where more than one thousand robotics experts will gather.
Badminton Denmark, who are hosting the home Open for the 18th time in Odense, are thrilled that robots are taking part in the tournament.
“With the robots, we have added another layer to our longstanding cooperation with Odense and Destination Fyn. In international badminton, we have led the way in the overall event set-up. With these robot initiatives, we once again stand out –in a fun manner and by pushing the boundaries of using technology.
“It certainly adds an extra dimension to the spectator experience and creates a futuristic atmosphere that we look forward to develop even more in the years to come,” says Kristian Langbak, chief operation officer at Badminton Denmark.
It’s a part of a massive city branding and business promotion initiative in Odense, which is one of the world’s leading robot cities.
Odense is internationally recognised as a leading robotics hub, in particular within the field of collaborative and mobile robots.
These robots can work alongside humans and help with routine and physically demanding tasks – exactly the way these robots will do at the home Open, boosting business through badminton.
To let the Denmark Open be invaded by robots is a wise branding and business move, said Kenneth Cortsen, PhD and researcher in sports branding at University College of Northern Denmark.
According to Cortsen, the FIFA World Cup’s way of bringing the match ball on to the court by a tiny remote-controlled Volkswagen in 2022 is one of a few examples with the same creative brand activation: “Asians love badminton and the sport is such a cultural phenomenon in that part of the world, so there is a great opportunity to get one’s message across through the tournament.
“To be able to show collaborative robots in between smash and clear is one of the best and most innovative examples of city branding I have witnessed.”
