Preface:

The deeper transformation evident at CES2026 is the materialization of AI, where AI is profoundly integrated into endpoint hardware, robots, vehicles, and other physical entities. This integration enables genuine perception, decision-making, and execution capabilities.

The rationale behind this transformation is clear: digital intelligence emphasizes delivering intelligent capabilities at the cloud and large-scale model levels; embodied intelligence, on the other hand, focuses on the seamless integration of AI with hardware, sensors, and control systems.

This shift is not merely a trend but a collective and subtle realignment of industrial direction.

Image Source | Network

From Flashy Demos to Practical Applications: The Robotics Track Reaches a Turning Point

If robots at previous CES events were akin to mascots on display, by 2026, they have officially entered the workforce.

For the first time, a dedicated hall for embodied intelligence was inaugurated, signaling a clear shift: the core value of robots has transitioned from technical showmanship to practical application in real-world scenarios.

Among overseas giants, Boston Dynamics' new all-electric Atlas stole the spotlight.

This humanoid robot, boasting 56 degrees of freedom and 360-degree rotating joints, has shed its previous image as a parkour enthusiast to become a super worker bee designed for industrial environments.

It can effortlessly lift 30 kilograms, with a maximum lifting capacity of 50 kilograms. It operates in extreme temperatures ranging from -20°C to 40°C, has a battery life of 4 hours, autonomously navigates to charging stations, completes battery swaps in 3 minutes, and achieves uninterrupted 24/7 operation.

The mass-produced Atlas significantly reduces the number of unique components, aligns with automotive supply chains, and is slated for delivery to Hyundai Motor factories and Google DeepMind in 2026, with formal deployment at Hyundai's Georgia plant for assembly tasks in 2028.

Complementing the industrial focus of overseas giants, China's embodied intelligence sector is experiencing a comprehensive blossoming.

According to incomplete statistics, at least 28 Chinese humanoid robot companies exhibited at this event, accounting for over half of the exhibitors in the humanoid robot section.

Unitree Technology's G1 humanoid robot staged live boxing matches, utilizing AI to calculate center of gravity and force points in real-time, swiftly adjusting balance after being struck, and enhancing the response speed of joint modules.

Zhongqing Robotics' T800 performed the most challenging backflip on-site, with legs mimicking human muscle contraction mechanisms to maintain stability during high-difficulty maneuvers.

Zhiyuan Robotics showcased its full product line for the first time in the U.S., with Lingxi X2 dancing with the audience, Yuanzheng A2 serving as a guide, and Jingling G2 demonstrating high-precision force control in industrial scenarios.

Xingdong Era's Xingdong Q5, with its full-body remote operation capability, precisely replicates the operator's movements, becoming a robot avatar favored by the world's top 10 tech companies.

Vita Dynamics' Vbot super robot dog completely discards remote control, relying on its self-developed three-tier intelligent architecture to achieve autonomous following, navigation, cargo transport, and filming in crowded exhibition halls.

Pasini Perception Technology's multidimensional tactile dexterous hand integrates 1,200 micro tactile sensors, enabling delicate operations such as hand-brewed coffee and threading needles.

The Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation Center's Embodied Tiangong 2.0, based on its self-developed VLA model, autonomously completes the entire process of grasping, sorting, and stacking, and can handle various interferences such as object posture and spatial position changes.

Rierman completed a cross-ocean real-time remote operation demonstration from Beijing to Las Vegas, where trainers in Beijing remotely controlled the RealBOT robot on display to perform tasks such as delivering items.

The Rise of the Chinese Contingent: From Quantity Advantage to Technological Leadership

The AI glasses track can be considered the home court of the Chinese contingent, with 16 Chinese brands forming an encirclement, covering the entire product line from lightweight portability to professional functionality.

Rokid's screenless AI glasses, Rokid Style, weigh only 38.5 grams, making them the lightest full-featured AI glasses on the market, supporting multiple models such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek.

Rayneo Innovation launched the world's first eSIM smart glasses, X3 Pro, which can make independent calls and play 3D games without relying on a smartphone, weighing only 78 grams.

INMO Go3 supports real-time two-way translation in 261 languages and can simulate the user's original voice for announcements. INMO AIR3 is the world's first mass-produced 1080P wireless integrated AR glasses.

XGIMI Technology premiered its AI glasses brand, MemoMind, while Starry Meizu introduced its AI photography glasses, StarV Snap. Lianou Technology showcased the world's thinnest AR glasses, with Chinese manufacturers nearly monopolizing the innovative direction of AI glasses.

In the smart home sector, Dreame launched a tracked stair-climbing robot vacuum, Cyber X, which completely solves the problem of cleaning across floors. Another robot vacuum, equipped with ultra-wide-angle binocular navigation, can accurately identify dynamic obstacles.

UGREEN ventured into the security sector, launching cameras and doorbells that can be linked with NAS devices for local storage of footage.

Lockin's Lockin V7 Max became the world's first mass-produced true AI smart lock with over-the-air charging and unlimited battery life, eliminating the need for battery replacements and integrating an AI assistant and six-in-one unlocking methods.

Narwal's new flagship robot vacuum, Flow 2, not only cleans but also monitors pets and locates valuable items.

Behind the rise of Chinese companies lies the dual support of technological accumulation and supply chain advantages. A Morgan Stanley report shows that in the past five years, Chinese companies have submitted 7,705 patent applications related to humanoid robots, while the U.S. has only submitted 1,561.

Some leading manufacturers have already shipped thousands of robots in 2025, forming a virtuous cycle of research and development, mass production, and iteration.

Songyan Dynamics' Little Rascal N2 humanoid robot has won a marathon runner-up and a gymnastics champion, targeting five core regions including North America, the Middle East, and Europe, with plans to achieve thousand-unit overseas expansion in the second quarter of 2026.

The Booster K1 robot, which has evolved rapidly, has a cumulative global shipment of nearly 1,000 units, with overseas markets accounting for over 40%, becoming a popular choice for university research and developer communities.

Dreame's automotive brand, Kosmera, made its debut with two high-performance sports cars, achieving 0-100 km/h acceleration in 1.8 seconds and targeting the ultra-luxury market such as Bugatti.

Gyroshell's exoskeleton product, HyperShell X Ultra, reduces the sense of carrying 30 kilograms through its AI motion engine, gaining popularity in overseas outdoor scenarios.

From Functional Satisfaction to Emotional Resonance: Reconstructing Hardware Value

From second brain recording devices to emotional companion robots, from health monitoring hardware to screenless intelligent terminals, AI is reconstructing the value logic of hardware.

Plaud's NotePin S, resembling a capsule, can be worn as a brooch or necklace. Its newly added physical buttons can mark key information, support transcription and meeting summary generation in 112 languages, and offer a desktop application for seamless recording.

Vocci's AI note-taking ring supports recording within a 5-meter range, has an 8-hour battery life, comes with a charging protective case, and is priced under $200.

SwitchBot's AI MindClip weighs only 18g, records speech and converts it into summaries and to-do lists, and builds a personal audio memory database.

Mobvoi introduced the TicNote series of AI recording cards, including recording earphones, recording watches, and a cloud collaboration platform, covering all-scenario recording needs.

The core logic of these products is to enable AI to serve as an extension of human memory, automatically capturing key information in meetings, communications, and other scenarios, reducing users' memory burden.

Emotional companion products have evolved from novelty to niche services.

Shenzhen Wuxin Technology's panda robot, An'an, is designed for the elderly and those with cognitive impairments. It is equipped with 10 high-precision sensors under its skin, can soothe emotions through touch feedback, accurately execute task reminders, synchronize health status, and won the CES Innovation Award.

Ludens AI's Cocomo robot has a shell temperature close to the human body, which can rise to 39°C during hugs. It conveys emotions through non-semantic gurgling sounds and can autonomously learn the owner's habits.

More disruptive is the collective debut of screenless AI devices, marking the arrival of an era where hardware is no longer dependent on screens.

Samsung's Ballie home robot, equipped with Google's Gemini 3 model, serves as a household manager, managing home devices and establishing emotional connections.

Panasonic's NICOBO moves slowly and speaks unclearly, with this imperfection making it more like a companion than a functional aggregate.

Loona's DeskMate borrows the iPhone's screen, camera, and computing power, transforming into an AI desktop assistant through a MagSafe-compatible robotic arm, offering practicality without adding electronic waste.

LG's CLOi D has a screen face capable of making expressions, can fold clothes, unload dishwashers, and control all household appliances, focusing on upper body refinement services.

Computing Power, Sensors, and Components Emerge as New Frontiers

Sensors and the perception layer have become the sensory organs of physical AI, with demand continuing to surge. The need for environmental perception and spatial understanding in AI devices is driving the proliferation of sensors such as binocular vision, LiDAR, and millimeter-wave radar.

DexHand's DexHand021 Pro high-performance dexterous hand reduces the price to one-fifth of international equivalents, achieving a balance between performance and cost through engineering optimization and supply chain innovation, addressing the pain point of large-scale adoption of dexterous hands.

Mui Lab's Mui Board Gen 2 achieves contactless sleep monitoring through millimeter-wave radar, capturing breathing frequency and turning movements without requiring any wearable devices.

TCL's AI air conditioner is equipped with millimeter-wave radar, which can sense the user's sleep state and actively adjust airflow speed and temperature.

Opportunities in the industrial chain also extend to components and materials. Paper batteries, due to their thinness and flexibility, have become the ideal power source for thin AI devices such as magnetic recording cards.

Innovations in components such as new reducers and axial flux motors have improved the motion performance and battery life of robots.

Lego's Smart Bricks, equipped with microcomputers, sensors, and wireless charging modules, enable collaborative responses among bricks through the BrickNet protocol, becoming a model for AI-fying traditional products.

ModeX's smart jacket seamlessly embeds power management and computing modules into clothing, enabling wireless charging, intelligent temperature control, programmable lighting, and edge AI computing, redefining mobile computing and energy interaction.

Epilogue

The most prominent feature of CES 2026 is the blurring of boundaries between technology fields. AI no longer belongs to a specific vertical domain but permeates all core sectors.

Does technological implementation truly benefit the public? Does the shift exacerbate the digital divide? Is the winner-takes-all outcome of the reconstruction sustainable? CES 2026 provides clues, but the answers must be verified through practice.

Partial Sources: Caijing Breakfast: CES 2026: AI Rewrites Everything, Hardware Value Flows to These Three Areas, Geek Park: The Craziest 25 Brainstorms at CES 2026 Are All Here, Top Technology: Boston Dynamics Dominates CES 2026, Next-Gen Mass-Produced Atlas Humanoid Robot Breaks Through, TopMarketing: Debuting at CES 2026, What Black Technologies Do These Chinese Brands Bring?, NetEase Technology: The Most Comprehensive CES 2026 Exhibition Notes: Everything About Robots, Screens, Chips, and AI Companions, Narrowcast: Reviewing CES2026: Several Core Trends to Grasp