CES 2026 – Show Review & Technical Takeaways

CES continues to evolve into a broad technology show that increasingly overlaps automotive, energy, robotics, and industrial systems. After several days on the floor, a few themes stood out clearly, both in what showed real progress and what felt overextended.

EV Motorcycle

Autonomous lawnmower

Robotics & Humanoids

Robotics and humanoids had a heavy presence. The range of maturity was wide.

• We saw plenty of robots fall over.

• We also saw genuinely impressive demonstrations, including humanoids playing ping pong and performing dexterous tasks.

• Humanoid arms and joints continue to improve, particularly with the use of torque sensing and force feedback to enable pressure-sensitive motion and safer interaction.

Some of the technology feels closer to production; some still feels more like a demo than a product.

AI Saturation

AI was everywhere, often to the point that the term has lost clarity.

• Many systems that would previously have been described as “software” are now labeled AI.

• Our view remains that AI only works when layered on top of physics-based models and real system constraints.

• LLMs have clear limits, and those limits were not always well understood or acknowledged in the messaging.

The most credible applications were those tightly constrained to real-world data and physical systems.

Automotive Presence

CES is not an auto-centric show, but cars remain the biggest consumer gadget most people buy.

• North American OEMs and many U.S. Tier 1 suppliers were largely absent from the floor.

• In contrast, Hyundai and several Chinese automakers had strong, technically impressive presences.

• Hyundai stood out with large exhibits, real demos, a thermal concept vehicle with Hyundai WIA, and Boston Dynamics humanoids and vehicle movers operating in a factory-style setting.

The contrast in ambition and visible innovation compared to North American participation was notable.

Autonomy

Autonomous vehicles continue to draw attention, but consumer access remains limited.

• Waymo still appears ahead in real-world maturity.

• Zoox stood out by offering fully driverless routes on the Strip, and the unusual vehicle platform, with no driver controls, was a crowd favorite.

• Tesla remains part of the discussion, but camera-only approaches continue to raise questions for Level 4+ autonomy and broader Operational Design Domains.

On the software side:

• Level IV remains the most compelling target.

• The Autoware Foundation’s open-source approach to autonomy infrastructure is encouraging, helping reduce solvable barriers and making advanced autonomy more accessible to new companies.

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Energy, V2X, and Distributed Power

Energy felt underrepresented relative to its importance.

• We saw some clever battery systems and interesting storage products.

• What felt lacking was a stronger consumer focus on how energy is generated at home (beyond solar) and how existing battery assets , particularly EVs, can be better utilized.

• V2X and distributed power generation had limited visibility.

With increasing grid pressure, EV charging growth, and data center demand, this gap was noticeable.

Solid-State Batteries

Solid-state batteries continue to surface as a potential differentiator.

• Several companies claimed meaningful breakthroughs, including Donut Labs.

• Many reviewers are speculating that the technology may be closer to a capacitor, with cost and weight numbers that raise valid questions.

• That said, I spent time with Donut Labs’ technical team and was impressed by their creativity and approach.

Whether or not the current implementation scales as advertised, the innovation effort itself is encouraging, and I wish them the best.

Off-Highway & Industrial

Off-highway and industrial technology was one of the stronger areas of the show.

• Caterpillar demonstrated leadership with an electrohydraulic excavator, autonomous construction concepts, and AI-supported jobsite tools.

• Kubota showcased autonomous tractors and a versatile transformer-style robotic platform.

• Bobcat / Doosan presented electric skid steers and other electric equipment that felt close to real-world deployment.

• Oshkosh Volterra’s hybrid fire truck remains an impressive engineering achievement.

These companies showed how AI, autonomy, and electrification can be applied credibly to physical systems.

Marine

Brunswick was one of the few major marine players present.

• They showcased agentic AI and simulation capabilities.

• Their electric surfboards (Fliteboards) drew attention, but the more interesting work was around software and system integration.

  
  

Closing Thoughts

CES showed meaningful progress in robotics, autonomy, electrification, and industrial systems ; alongside a growing tendency to overuse AI as a catch-all term.

The strongest technologies were grounded in physics, honest about constraints, and focused on real-world application. The biggest gaps remain in consumer-facing energy systems, distributed power, and practical autonomy access.