author_name|Karissa Bell

CES always has its share of attention-grabbing robots. But this year in particular seemed to be a landmark year for robotics. The advancement in AI technology has not only given robots better “brains,” it’s enabled new levels of autonomy and given rise to an ambitious, if sometimes questionable, vision for our robot-filled future.

From sassy humanoids to AI-powered pets and chore-handling assistants, we sought out as many cute, strange and capable robots as we could find in Las Vegas. These are the ones that made the biggest impression.

When Meta first announced its display-enabled smart glasses last year, it teased a handwriting feature that allows users to send messages by tracing letters with their hands.

It's only been a few months since Meta announced that it would open its smart glasses platform to third-party developers. But one startup at CES is already showing off how the glasses can help power an intriguing set of accessibility features.

When LG announced that it would demo a laundry-folding, chore-doing robot at CES 2026, I was immediately intrigued. For years, I've wandered the Las Vegas Convention Center halls and wondered when someone might create a robot that can tackle the mundane but useful tasks I despise like folding laundry.

I'll admit that I've always kind of taken walking for granted. Other than a knee injury more than a decade ago, my ability to walk long distances has largely been limited only by my own choices. That's not the case for everyone, though. And robotics company Dephy has created a pair of robotic sneakers, called the Sidekick, that are meant to help people who want to walk more than their bodies might otherwise be capable of.

CES 2026 isn't the first year we've seen a wave of interesting robots or even useful robots crop up in Las Vegas. But it's the first year I can remember when there have been so many humanoid and humanoid-like robots performing actually useful tasks. Of those, Switchbot's Onero H1 has been one of the most intriguing robot helpers I've seen on the show floor, especially because the company says that it will actually go on sale later this year (though it won't come cheap). 

Robot vacuum companies are once again out in full force at CES 2026, giving their devices a new set of intriguing — and sometimes unsettling — capabilities. This year, Chinese appliance maker Dreame is showing off a vacuum prototype with giant legs that can climb up and down an entire flight of stairs.

Last year at CES, Dreame showed off a robot vacuum prototype with a mechanical arm. But while we were able to see the arm extend and retract, we didn’t see the device, which was described as a prototype at the time, actually grab anything, which was a bit disappointing.

Meta has been experimenting with

For better or worse, CES 2026 is already shaping up to be a big year for humanoid robots. Chinese company Agibot showed up with two: the roughly human-sized A2 and the slightly smaller X2, both of which were displaying their surprisingly impressive dancing abilities.