CES has always been a showcase for robotics, and this year did not disappoint, featuring significant advancements including the production-ready launch of Atlas, the humanoid robot from Boston Dynamics. The showroom floor was filled with various robots that often serve as marketing tools for their companies. While they may not always reflect the current state of commercial deployment, they offer a glimpse into the future of robotics—and they’re definitely entertaining to watch. I spent time checking out a range of bots on display, and here are some of the standout highlights.
The ping pong player
The recent release of the movie Marty Supreme coincided perfectly with the presence of a ping-pong-playing robot at this year’s convention. The Chinese robotics company Sharpa had created a full-bodied robot to engage in competitive table tennis against one of its staff members. When I visited the Sharpa booth, the robot was trailing its human opponent 5-9, and the pace of the game was far from thrilling. Nonetheless, watching a robot play ping pong was impressive, and I’ve encountered humans with skills on par with (or sometimes worse than) those of the bot. A Sharpa representative mentioned that the company primarily focuses on robotic hands, and they showcased the full-bodied bot at CES to demonstrate the hand’s dexterity.
The boxer
One of the most popular exhibits featured robots from EngineAI, a Chinese firm working on humanoid robots. These bots, called the T800 (a nod to the Terminator franchise), were placed in a mock boxing ring and designed to act as fighters. However, I didn’t witness any actual punches thrown. Instead, the robots merely shadowboxed, never making contact. They also had some quirky moments; one bot wandered out of the ring into the audience, eliciting laughter from onlookers. At one point, a bot tripped and face-planted on the floor, lying there for a bit before getting back up. While it wasn’t exactly a boxing match to rival Mike Tyson’s, the machines displayed a spooky semblance of human behavior, making for entertaining viewing. I overheard a bystander remark, “That’s too much like Robocop.”
The dancer
Dancing robots are a perennial favorite at CES, and this year was no exception. The rhythm was carried by bots from Unitree, a leading Chinese robotics manufacturer that has faced scrutiny for potential ties to the Chinese military. Unitree showcased impressive developments, including a humanoid robot capable of running at speeds of up to 11 mph. I didn’t notice anything suspicious at their booth; instead, there were plenty of robots happily grooving to the music.
The convenience store clerk
I stopped by the Galbot booth, another Chinese company focused on generative language models and general purpose robotics. Their setup mimicked a convenience store, and the bot was synced with a menu app. Customers could select an item, and the bot would fetch it for them. When I chose Sour Patch Kids, the bot promptly retrieved a box from the shelf. According to their website, the robot has been successfully deployed in various real-world settings, including as an assistant in Chinese pharmacies.
The housekeeper
The quest to create a machine that can fold laundry has been a fundamental goal in the robotics industry. The ability to pick up and fold a T-shirt is seen as a benchmark for automation. I was particularly impressed by a display from Dyna Robotics, which develops advanced manipulation models for automated tasks. Their robotic arms were successfully folding laundry and neatly stacking it. A Dyna representative shared that the company has partnered with several hotels, gyms, and factories.
One of their clients, Monster Laundry based in Sacramento, California, integrated Dyna’s shirt-folding robot into their operations last year and currently boasts being the “first laundry center in North America to debut a state-of-the-art robotic folding system.”
Dyna also secured impressive backing, having completed a $120 million Series A funding round in September, with investments from Nvidia’s NVentures, Amazon, LG, Salesforce, and Samsung.
The butler
Finally, I checked out LG’s space at CES, where they showcased their new home robot, CLOid. It was charming, though not the fastest bot around. You can read my full review of that experience here.
