Humanoid robots take center stage at CES

Humanoid robots that move like humans and are powered by artificial intelligence dominated CES 2026, the world’s largest information technology trade show. Expectations are rising that humanoids will begin operating this year as robot workers in factories and homes, intensifying global competition.

Hyundai Motor Group on Jan. 5 local time unveiled its humanoid robot, the next-generation electric Atlas, at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. The company plans to train the robot for automobile manufacturing and deploy it in 2028 at Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, or HMGMA, its production facility in Savannah, Georgia. Atlas will initially perform basic tasks such as sorting parts and is expected to move into assembly work starting in 2030. Hyundai Motor Group aims to build a system capable of producing 30,000 robots a year by 2028 and has designated Atlas as its first mass-produced humanoid.

LG Electronics on the same day introduced its home robot, LG Cloi, designed to assist with household chores. By integrating Cloi with AI-powered home appliances, LG Electronics aims to create a “Zero-Labor Home,” freeing people from domestic work. China’s robot maker Unitree also showcased a range of robots at CES, reinforcing expectations that competition in the global humanoid sector will intensify.

Nvidia Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang also underscored the rise of humanoids. Huang appeared on stage with two humanoid robots at “Nvidia Live,” held at the Fontainebleau hotel in Las Vegas. “The next phase of AI is robotics,” he said, adding that artificial intelligence must interact with humans in the physical world rather than remain limited to text or video. Huang made a similar point at last year’s CES, when he described physical AI as the next major wave. Nvidia also unveiled Cosmos Reason 2, a new vision-language model designed for robots and physical AI.

Working robots are rapidly becoming a reality. As humanoids emerged as a central theme of CES 2026, Hyundai Motor Group on Jan. 5 local time unveiled the physical model of its humanoid robot Atlas for the first time at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas.