People want robots in warehouses and factories, not hospitals or schools, Hexagon study finds
Rhea-AI Summary
Hexagon (NYSE:B) released global Robot Generation survey findings on attitudes toward robots at work and in daily life. Adults and children favour robots for physical, repetitive, and hazardous tasks, but strongly prefer humans for caregiving and roles needing empathy or accountability.
Most respondents support robots in factories and warehouses over hospitals or classrooms, and 86% of adults want clear rules on robot use. Children are more likely than adults to see robots as full colleagues, indicating a generational shift in workplace expectations.
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News Market Reaction – B
In the Jun 16 session, B gained 2.25%, reflecting a moderate positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
Key Figures
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | 24h Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12 | Sustainability report | Positive | +3.1% | Release of 2025 Sustainability Report and performance metrics for Barrick. |
| May 28 | AGM and dividend | Positive | +1.1% | AGM approvals, dividend declaration, and authorizations for new securities. |
| May 26 | Corporate milestone | Positive | +3.5% | 85th anniversary highlighting growth and technology-enabled services. |
| May 15 | Revenue outlook | Positive | -5.9% | Partner’s higher Leqembi revenue and royalty expectations for BioArctic. |
| May 14 | Dividend declaration | Positive | -3.8% | Quarterly cash dividend announcement on Class A and B shares. |
24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.
Across recent news, price reactions have been mixed, with both positive and negative moves following operational, strategic, and dividend-related announcements.
Recent news flow in the dataset spans various issuers and themes, including Barrick’s 2025 Sustainability Report with a 3.15% gain, an AGM/dividend update for another company, a corporate anniversary, revenue and royalty projections, and a dividend declaration linked to a -3.81% move. Reactions alternated between positive and negative, indicating that investors have not reacted uniformly even to seemingly constructive updates. Against this backdrop, Hexagon’s robotics perception study for B appears alongside a history of generally modest, news-linked moves without a clear directional bias.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
- The sharpest divide is around care:
68% of adults would prefer a robot to handle heavy lifting, but just12% would choose a robot for caregiving, according to Hexagon's global Robot Generation study. - Adoption is conditional, not universal, as half of adults also prefer robots for monitoring hazards (
52% ), cleaning shared spaces (50% ), and information lookup (50% ), but86% say clear rules for what robots can and can't do are essential. - The next generation is already more comfortable with robots, children are far more open to robots across settings, and are
50% more likely than adults to see robots as "full colleagues" at work.
Asked whether they would prefer a human or a robot to handle specific workplace tasks, adults consistently chose robots for physical, repetitive, and hazardous work.
But where a task demands empathy or accountability, both groups shift decisively to humans. The widest gap is in caregiving:
"There's real potential for robots in areas like elderly care or classrooms, but as assistive devices, not as replacements for that essential human role," said Dr Jim Everett, Associate Professor in Moral Psychology.
"Ask people if they want to be cared for by a robot, and most say no," added Dr Blay Whitby, Technology Ethicist. "Ask if technology should help them remain independent in their own home for longer, and most say yes. It's the same technology, just framed differently."
The robot assistant era
When it comes to what people would actually want from a robot, the answer for both groups – adults and children – is practical help. Adults prioritise tasks such as capturing measurements or doing simple research (
Only
Industry: the safe testing ground for robotics
The environment where robots perform these practical tasks also matters. Adults are most comfortable with robots helping in factories and warehouses (
Preference also tilts toward machine-like robots (
"People are telling us exactly where robots belong and where they don't, and their instincts are remarkably consistent across markets," said Burkhard Boeckem, CTO at Hexagon. "Industrial environments are where the tasks for robots are the most defined, the safety cases are mature, and governance is in public view. That is where people feel most comfortable working alongside humanoids, and it's precisely where our technologies already operate. This data confirms that the path to adoption runs through industry, not around it."
Methodology:
The Hexagon Robot Generation study surveyed 9000 adults and 9000 children aged 8–18 across the
'Robot' in this context means a machine that can carry out tasks either completely on its own or with human guidance. These tasks could be pre-programmed or the robot could be acting independently. Robots can be found in many forms — for example, machines that build products, deliver goods, or help at home. They don't always look like people.
About Hexagon:
Hexagon is the global leader in measurement technologies. Our precision measurement, positioning, and autonomous solutions transform the world's most vital industries. From aerospace & defence, automotive, construction, general manufacturing, to mining and more, we provide the confidence that customers rely on to build, navigate, and innovate.
Hexagon (Nasdaq Stockholm: HEXA B) has approximately 17,000 employees in 50 countries and net sales of approximately 3.7bn EUR.
Learn more at hexagon.com
Media contact:
MikeWorldWide PR
hexagon@mww.com
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SOURCE Hexagon