The Asian Robot Legion: Dominating Las Vegas at CES 2026
If CES a decade ago was the smartphone's stage, and five years ago belonged to electric vehicles, then Las Vegas in 2026 has unequivocally transformed into a massive robotics showcase. Walking into the main exhibition halls, especially the LVCC North Hall, the feeling is overwhelming: this is the kingdom of robots.
The most eye-catching display was undoubtedly at Unitree Robotics' booth, which was swarmed with spectators. Two humanoid robots were engaged in a genuine boxing match on a stage, their movements agile and responsive. Nearby, other robots were serving tea, chatting with visitors, and even collaborating with staff to demonstrate logistics tasks. A friend remarked, 'A couple of years ago, robots were just flashy attention-grabbers running down the aisles. Now, you see them everywhere, even at the booths of home appliance giants like TCL, Hisense, and LG.' This signals a subtle but significant shift: robots are no longer mascots but the main theme of CES. More interestingly, a closer look at their labels reveals a striking commonality—most hail from Asia, particularly from China, Japan, and South Korea.
Into Homes, and Into Factories
Humanoid robots have always been the holy grail of robotics, embodying our simple desire for a substitute to handle undesirable chores. Previously confined to conceptual research, Asian manufacturers this year are determined to deploy them in factories and homes. Hyundai, which acquired Boston Dynamics, is finally moving beyond viral videos of dancing robots. The new all-electric Atlas is now a dedicated 'blue-collar' worker. Hyundai announced that starting in 2028, these robots, featuring 56 degrees of freedom and 360-degree rotating joints, will be mass-produced at a rate of 30,000 units per year for its Georgia plant. Atlas can lift 50 kg, features tactile-sensing fingers, and can even autonomously swap its own battery for 24/7 operation, destined for tasks like heavy lifting and parts sorting.
In contrast, Chinese firm SwitchBot offers a different approach with its Onero H1. It bypasses the complexity of bipedal locomotion with a practical wheeled base and robotic arms. Powered by the OmniSense visual-language-action model, Onero H1 can understand complex household commands and, with its 22 degrees of freedom, can fetch milk from the fridge, place bread in the toaster, and even tackle the dreaded task of folding laundry. Meanwhile, Korean giant LG presented CLOiD, central to its 'Zero Labor Home' vision. CLOiD acts as a mobile smart home hub integrated with LG's ThinQ ecosystem, capable of tasks like retrieving items from an oven. However, live demonstrations revealed its movements are still quite slow. A newcomer, China's Zeroth, introduced its 1.65-meter-tall humanoid, Jupiter. Its distinction lies in its 'Zeroth World' training environment, which uses world models to learn physics, allowing it to adapt to unstructured, cluttered environments intuitively rather than relying on pre-set maps.
Pokémon that Recharge Your Emotions
Beyond human-like forms, Asian manufacturers are astutely addressing another core human need: loneliness. Companion robots are gaining traction, targeting the modern desire for connection over chores. Dobot's 'dinosaur' awakens from a simulated cryogenic chamber, creating a captivating interactive experience. Enabot's robot, resembling a small alien in a pod, offers emotional interaction when held. Zeroth brought a piece of Pixar to life with its W1 robot, a real-world WALL-E that can carry 50 kg and accompany you on outdoor adventures. Ecovacs, known for its cleaning robots, unveiled LilMilo, a fluffy robot dog designed purely for emotional value. It uses AI to recognize its owner's voice and mood, developing a unique, unpredictable personality. FrontierX took it a step further with Vex, a companion robot for your pets. This cute, ball-shaped robot can follow and play with your cat or dog, using its camera and AI to create daily video highlights of their activities.
Sky to Ground: The Power of Combination
While humanoid and companion robots represent the future, cleaning robots are the mature technology of the present. Yet, the innovation here is far from over. Chinese firms are pushing these machines into new frontiers: climbing walls, diving into pools, and ascending stairs. Roborock's Saros Rover, for instance, uses multi-jointed mechanical legs to climb steps. In floor cleaning, Eureka and Ecovacs are solving the mixed-surface dilemma by creating mechanisms that physically shield wet mops when a carpet is detected. Some companies are even experimenting with drone modules to fly cleaning robots between floors. Outdoors, Mammotion and Roborock are equipping lawnmowers with autonomous driving technology like LiDAR and binocular cameras. Mammotion's Luba 3 AWD can create 3D maps and identify obstacles like toys and pets. Their Spino S1 Pro pool cleaner navigates underwater with precision and features a robotic arm base station that automatically retrieves and recharges it. This wave of innovation demonstrates a clear goal: combining advanced modules to conquer every cleaning dead spot and minimize human intervention.
The Future is Here, But Not Yet Widespread
The trends at CES 2026 point towards a beautifully automated future where cleaning robots maintain our homes and companion robots offer emotional support. However, this vision presents a new problem: a household cluttered with single-task devices—a lawnmower, a pool cleaner, a floor vacuum, a robot dog—each needing its own space, charger, and maintenance. The intuitive solution is a unified, multi-purpose robot, and the ideal form for that is humanoid. We envision an all-in-one assistant that can handle cooking, cleaning, pet-sitting, and conversation. Yet, reality is sobering. Despite rapid progress, today's humanoid robots are far from the versatile butlers of our dreams. Before that ultimate machine arrives, we will likely have to coexist with a house full of specialized 'little helpers.' It is much like the era before the iPhone, when our pockets were filled with separate MP3 players, digital cameras, and PDAs.
