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CES 2026: Turning point for humanoid robots

CES 2026 made one thing clear: robotics is entering a new industrial chapter, and China is emerging as a major driver of that shift. At this year’s show, Chinese exhibitors pushed beyond flashy demos, showcasing humanoid and wheeled robots built for real-world deployment. These displays arrived just as a new Omdia report showed China outpacing the U.S. in 2025 humanoid robot production, led by companies like AgiBot, Unitree and UBTECH. Elsewhere on the show floor, robots demonstrated the mobility and perception capabilities needed to be autonomous and able to collaborate with humans. Boston Dynamics’ latest model, Atlas, demonstrated a fully redesigned, 360-degree-rotating humanoid body, signaling intensifying global competition. Together, these developments hint at a turning point where embodied AI moves from prototypes to mass production, and China’s fast-growing robotics ecosystem is increasingly shaping the pace and direction of the field.

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