38 definitions · Updated on 12 October 2026
Event robotics glossary
The vocabulary of a young market, where the same words cover very different realities. “Humanoid robot” can mean a tablet on wheels just as well as a walking biped. These definitions help you tell them apart, and know what to check before you sign.
Robotics
The machines, their components and their capabilities: what sets a bipedal humanoid apart from a wheeled robot.
3D LiDAR
A 3D LiDAR is a sensor that measures the distance to surrounding objects by emitting laser pulses and timing their return. It produces a three-dimensional point cloud that a robot uses to map its surroundings and detect obstacles, even in the dark.
Read the definitionBattery life (robot)
A robot's battery life is how long it runs on one battery charge. For a bipedal humanoid, it is counted in hours and depends heavily on use: continuous walking consumes far more than a static posture.
Read the definitionBipedal robot
A bipedal robot is a robot that moves on two articulated legs, actively managing its balance with every step. Unlike a wheeled robot, it is never passively stable: it falls as soon as its motors stop correcting its posture, several hundred times per second.
Read the definitionDegree of freedom (DoF)
A degree of freedom is an independent movement that a robot joint can produce. The total number of degrees of freedom measures how rich a machine's range of gestures is: the higher it is, the more numerous and natural the possible postures and movements.
Read the definitionDepth camera
A depth camera assigns a distance, and not just a colour, to each pixel of an image. It gives the robot short-range perception of relief, useful for detecting an outstretched hand, a low obstacle or the edge of a stage.
Read the definitionHumanoid robot
A humanoid robot is a robot whose shape reproduces that of the human body: head, torso, two arms and, for bipedal models, two legs. The shape has no technical value in itself: it lets the robot move through spaces designed for people and makes it instantly readable to the public.
Read the definitionJoint torque
Joint torque is the rotational force a motor can apply to a joint, expressed in newton-metres (N·m). On a bipedal robot, it determines the ability to support the machine's weight, absorb a loss of balance and perform dynamic movements.
Read the definitionMedia robot
A media robot is a mobile robot whose function is to display visual content: advertisements, QR codes, sponsor messages, announcements. It turns an advertising medium that is usually fixed (roller banner, kiosk, wall screen) into one that moves towards the public.
Read the definitionNAO (robot)
NAO is a small bipedal humanoid robot about 58 cm tall, created by Aldebaran in 2008 and widely used in education and research. It walks and dances, but its size and power make it suited to teaching demonstrations rather than to entertaining a large space.
Read the definitionPepper (robot)
Pepper is a wheeled humanoid reception robot, about 1.20 m tall, with a tablet on its chest. Designed by Aldebaran and then produced by SoftBank Robotics, it was the benchmark reception robot of 2015-2020; its production was suspended in 2021.
Read the definitionQuadruped robot
A quadruped robot is a four-legged mobile robot, often called a “robot dog” because of its silhouette. More stable and far cheaper than a biped, it can handle stairs and rough ground, but has neither arms nor a human posture.
Read the definitionService robot
A service robot is a mobile robot designed for a specific practical task in a public or professional environment: carrying trays, cleaning floors, directing visitors, patrolling a site. It usually moves on wheels and favours reliability over expressiveness.
Read the definitionSLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping)
SLAM is the technique by which a robot builds a map of an unknown place while locating itself within it, using only its own sensors. It is what allows a machine to find its way around an exhibition hall without a prior floor plan or beacons installed on the ground.
Read the definitionTeleoperation
Teleoperation is the remote control of a robot by a human operator, as opposed to autonomous operation. For an event booking with a bipedal humanoid, it is the normal operating mode: a trained operator directs the robot for the whole duration of the appearance.
Read the definitionUnitree G1
The Unitree G1 is a bipedal humanoid robot made by the Chinese manufacturer Unitree Robotics. It stands about 1.32 m tall and weighs 35 kg, has 23 to 43 degrees of freedom depending on configuration, walks at up to 2 m/s and carries a 3D LiDAR and a depth camera.
Read the definitionEvents
The vocabulary of trade shows, activations and brand entertainment, from the point of view of those who organise them.
Advertising sales house
An advertising sales house is the entity that sells a medium's advertising space to advertisers. For a trade show organiser or a venue manager, it is the mechanism that turns visitor traffic into revenue.
Read the definitionBrand activation
A brand activation is a time-limited, on-the-ground operation that puts the public in direct, physical contact with a brand. It differs from advertising through lived experience: passers-by do not watch a message, they take part in a scene.
Read the definitionDOOH (digital out-of-home advertising)
DOOH, short for digital out of home, refers to advertising displayed on digital screens outside the home: railway stations, airports, shopping centres, street furniture. Unlike paper posters, the content can be changed remotely and scheduled by time slot.
Read the definitionDrive-to-stand
Drive-to-stand covers all the actions designed to bring visitors to a trade show stand: invitations sent beforehand, signage, presence in the official programme, and attractions on site. It is the first step in a trade show's performance, before any sales work.
Read the definitionEvent staging
Event staging means writing the running order of a moment (entrance, sequence, exit) rather than letting an attraction run continuously. It turns a permanent presence, which quickly becomes part of the scenery, into a moment the audience looks forward to.
Read the definitionExhibition stand entertainment
Exhibition stand entertainment refers to any attraction set up on a trade show stand to stop the visitors walking down the aisle and start a conversation. Its aim is not to entertain but to convert passing footfall into sales meetings.
Read the definitionKeynote
A keynote is the main address at a conference or corporate event, given to the entire audience. It is the most filmed and most widely shared moment, which is why every second of it is timed.
Read the definitionPhoto booth
A photo booth is an installation at an event where participants take photos of themselves, usually against a backdrop in the brand's colours, with the image sent to them instantly. It is one of the few formats that produce both a keepsake and a contact.
Read the definitionProduct placement
Product placement means integrating a brand or a product into editorial or social content, without it being an advertisement declared as such. It differs from an event service: what is sold is not a physical presence but an audience.
Read the definitionRoadshow
A roadshow is an event operation repeated in several cities using the same format. It spreads the cost of a single design across several dates, at the price of touring logistics.
Read the definitionStreet marketing
Street marketing is a communication operation carried out in public space, in direct contact with passers-by. It relies on surprise, in a context where people do not expect to encounter a brand.
Read the definitionTrade show
A trade show is an event where companies from the same sector present their offering to a professional audience, over a few days, in an exhibition centre. It is a format with high fixed costs, where performance depends on the number of qualified contacts brought back.
Read the definitionUser-generated content (UGC)
User-generated content refers to the photos and videos produced spontaneously by the public and posted on their own social networks. At events, it is the free extension of an operation: it reaches audiences that the attraction itself would never have reached.
Read the definitionContract & logistics
What goes into a quote, an insurance policy and a spec sheet: the points to check before signing.
CE marking
CE marking is the affixing, by the manufacturer, of a declaration that a product conforms to the requirements of the European regulations that apply to it. It is a condition for placing the product on the market in the European Economic Area.
Read the definitionHidden cost (event services)
A hidden cost is an expense that does not appear in the headline price of a service but becomes unavoidable once you have committed. In event robot hire, the most common are the operator charged as an option, travel charged at cost and set-up hours outside the package.
Read the definitionHire package (half day, full day, bespoke)
Event robot hire services are generally organised in three formats: a half day of presence, a full day with several highlights, and a bespoke, fully staged service. What sets them apart is not just the duration but the degree of preparation beforehand.
Read the definitionInsurance excess and deposit
The excess is the share of a claim that remains payable by the insured party; the deposit is a sum requested as a guarantee for hired equipment. For valuable equipment, both amounts should be known before signing, not discovered when an incident occurs.
Read the definitionLeasing (equipment finance)
Leasing is a form of financing in which a company uses equipment in return for a periodic rent, without owning it, usually with an option to purchase at the end of the contract. It turns an investment into an operating expense spread over time.
Read the definitionMulti-day discount
A multi-day discount is a reduction applied to the following days of a service lasting several days. It reflects a real cost structure: preparation, transport and installation are borne by the first day, and the following days only add the team's time.
Read the definitionPublic liability insurance (RC Pro)
Public liability insurance (responsabilité civile professionnelle, or RC Pro, in France) covers the damage a supplier may cause to third parties in the course of its business. At an event open to the public with a mobile attraction, the supplier's certificate is the document an organiser asks for every time.
Read the definitionQuote (robot hire)
A quote for event robot hire should name the exact robot model, state whether the operator is included, give the effective presence time on site and set out the travel terms. A quote that stays vague on any of these four points usually hides an extra cost.
Read the definitionTotal cost of ownership (TCO)
Total cost of ownership adds up all the expenses linked to a piece of equipment over its lifetime: purchase, import and taxes, training, maintenance, parts, insurance, storage and obsolescence. It is the only figure that allows a fair comparison between buying and hiring.
Read the definitionTravel costs
Travel costs cover transporting the equipment and the team to the event venue and back. Depending on the supplier, they are included in the price, charged at a flat rate by geographical zone, or charged at cost: three approaches that lead to very different final invoices.
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