Particle.news
Download on the App Store

At CES 2026, Robots Put ‘Physical AI’ on Center Stage, Still Mostly in Slow Motion

CES closed with robotics confirming AI’s shift into devices despite most demos remaining slow prototypes.

Overview

  • CES organizers and on-the-ground reporting highlighted robotics as the clearest example of AI moving from cloud software into hardware, with a spokesperson citing a surge in humanoid and manufacturing-focused machines.
  • LG’s CLOiD home robot demonstrated autonomous tasks like folding laundry and fetching items using vision-language and action models, but the company says it remains under development with no commercial timeline.
  • Roborock’s Saros Rover prototype climbed and cleaned stairs in a deliberate, slow demo and is still in development with no release date announced.
  • Boston Dynamics and Hyundai positioned Atlas as an industrial humanoid for factories, detailing cameras, radar and 56 joints with 100-pound lifts, and Hyundai says it expects deployment on factory floors by 2028.
  • A handful of devices are closer to market, including the LUBA 3 mower available now (around $2,399) and Aiper’s Scuba V3 pool cleaner slated for Q1 2026 (about $1,100), while SwitchBot’s Onero H1 is planned to ship this year.