"Global Technology Spring Festival Gala" staged AI terminal war

# By Huang Yu

## Edited by Zhou Zhiyu

Nearly three years after ChatGPT sparked the wave of large AI models, the focus of the global AI race is shifting from model parameters to real-world application scenarios. This trend will be presented more intuitively at the upcoming CES, known as the "Global Tech Gala".

As one of the world’s largest and most influential technology exhibitions, CES has long been regarded as a barometer for the direction of the tech industry in the coming year and even longer. Compared with previous editions, CES 2026 sends a highly consistent signal: AI is no longer a standalone technical capability, but is moving from the virtual realm to the physical world.

From chips and PCs to TVs and home appliances, as well as robots and wearable devices, AI is being embedded into hardware in more concrete and practical ways, reshaping the experience of terminal products. A consensus is emerging across the global tech industry—the race for model parameters has entered a phase of diminishing marginal returns, and what truly determines the industry’s trajectory is how AI penetrates the real world through hardware.

CES 2026 will showcase a concentrated display of how AI is truly entering people’s daily lives, integrating into terminal devices, and embedding itself in specific scenarios.

## Robots Take Center Stage

This year’s CES will feature over 4,000 exhibitors, with companies from China and the United States remaining the main players. Among the numerous exhibited products, robots will firmly claim the spotlight.

"Every year, CES has a core theme—sometimes you can’t figure out what it is unless you’re on-site and hear everyone talking about it," said the president of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES. "But we can tell you clearly now that robotics technology will be the top topic of discussion at this year’s CES."

The year 2025 saw the robotics sector remain red-hot, with not only more companion robots that deliver emotional value emerging, but also the large-scale mass production of humanoid robots. This undoubtedly marks an accelerated shift of AI from screen-based operations to powering physical robots.

According to the official exhibitor directory released by CES, many Chinese robotics companies will participate in the exhibition, including Zhiyuan Robotics, Unitree Robotics, Star Dynamics, Songyan Power, Fourier Intelligence, Magic Atoms, Agile Dynamics, Keenon Robotics, and more.

As the "darling of the robotics industry" last year, Unitree Robotics will bring its Unitree H1 humanoid robot to CES this year. As Unitree’s first general-purpose humanoid robot, it has attracted widespread attention from the industry since its launch and even gained huge popularity on the stage of China’s Spring Festival Gala last year.

It is reported that Unitree will also present the latest interactive demonstrations of its humanoid robots at this CES.

Zhiyuan Robotics is expected to showcase its star products such as AGIBOT X2, AGIBOT A2, AGIBOT G2, and AGIBOT D1 at CES 2026, debuting its full product lineup in the North American market for the first time.

In addition, according to Wall Street Insights, Star Dynamics will present its family of humanoid robots featuring core products including Star Dynamics L7, Star Dynamics Q5, Star Dynamics XHAND1, and Star Dynamics XHAND lite. Leveraging its capability of "full-stack independent R&D integrating hardware and software", the company will comprehensively demonstrate its commercial achievements in "translating technological breakthroughs into scenario-based applications".

It is learned that the CES organizers have specially prepared a dedicated exhibition hall for embodied intelligent robot products. According to information on the official CES website, this year’s exhibition will be a showcase for the real-world applications of robots, demonstrating how AI-driven machines, autonomous systems, and collaborative robots are profoundly shaping the future of manufacturing, transportation, and the healthcare sector.

Beyond humanoid robots, intelligent cleaning robots have always been a category of high interest. With the decline of iRobot, the pioneer of robotic vacuums, Chinese manufacturers have secured an absolute leading position in the global robotic vacuum market, with the top five companies in terms of shipment volume all hailing from China.

Dreame, regarded as a "dark horse", will showcase its complete ecosystem of whole-house smart products at CES, covering smart large home appliances, intelligent cleaning, smart kitchen appliances, personal care devices, smart garden equipment, and smart audio-visual systems. Meanwhile, the company will launch its newly upgraded embodied intelligent robotic vacuum, boasting greater operational flexibility and the ability to intelligently execute complex tasks.

In addition, MOVA will not only present its 19 mature product lines and 4 new product categories in full, but also unveil three prototype products targeting "water, land, and air" scenarios for the first time. These include the Rover Master, an underwater pool robot equipped with a bionic robotic arm; the NAVAX AWD series, an all-terrain off-road lawn mower; and the Pilot 70 module, which grants flight capabilities to robotic vacuums.

Roborock will introduce its wheel-legged robotic vacuum, adopting a wheel-leg hybrid architecture to create the first stair-climbing robotic vacuum cleaner. Each wheel-leg unit features extension, lifting, and elevation functions, enabling flexibility comparable to human movement, as claimed by the company.

## Competing for the Best AI Carrier

Since the wave of large AI models began, there has been no consensus on what constitutes the optimal carrier for these models. Some argue it is humanoid robots, while others favor smart glasses or smartphones, and some are actively innovating new AI devices like the Rabbit R1 and AI Pin.

Although the explorations of the Rabbit R1 and AI Pin both ended in failure, the industry’s quest for the best AI carrier has never ceased.

Smart glasses, regarded as "one of the best carriers for the implementation of large AI models", are undoubtedly one of the most vibrant sectors today.

At this CES, it is expected that dozens of AI+AR glasses manufacturers will showcase their products. Among them, Rayneo Innovation will exhibit a full ecosystem of products including waveguide AI glasses, AR glasses with BB solutions, and AI glasses without displays. The company also pre-announced the launch of its first AR smart glasses equipped with eSIM technology, the "Rayneo X3 Pro Project eSIM".

XREAL will bring its newly released XREAL 1S, powered by its self-developed X1 spatial computing chip that enables real-time 2D-to-3D conversion. Meanwhile, Project Aura, its collaborative project with Google, will be available for small-scale demonstration and experience.

In addition to smart glasses, it is safe to predict that more new types of AI hardware will make their collective debut at CES.

Of course, while exploring new hardware forms, traditional categories such as smartphones, PCs, and home appliances are also actively breaking through growth bottlenecks by leveraging AI to reshape product experiences.

As an established global enterprise, TCL will be the Chinese company with the largest exhibition area at this year’s CES. For the first time at CES, TCL will showcase its flagship "King Series" TVs equipped with leading SQD-Mini LED display technology; the world’s first forward-looking in-vehicle display solution based on printed OLED screens; as well as its NXTPAPER series of smartphones and tablets featuring eye-protective display technology.

Lenovo, another established global player, will present the latest progress in its "Hybrid AI" strategy and launch its next-generation AI PCs, among other products.

Naturally, at a consumer electronics-focused exhibition like CES, chips remain the most fundamental and critical component. In 2026, this foundational layer is also being completely reshaped by AI, with tech giants such as NVIDIA, Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm set to engage in fierce competition in Las Vegas.

It is reported that during CES, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang will deliver a series of high-profile speeches, focusing on consumer hardware upgrades, the implementation of physical AI, and cross-industry ecosystem collaboration. Intel will launch its 3rd Gen Core Ultra processors, marking its first consumer products built on the Intel 18A process technology.

CES 2026 may not provide a definitive "ultimate answer" for AI devices, but it clearly demonstrates a trend: AI is evolving from an abstract capability into tangible products, and from concept demonstrations to everyday use.

For the global tech industry, this is not only a contest of products and technologies, but also a game of industrial paths and innovation models.

Source: Wall Street Insights

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