Artificial intelligence (AI), which had stayed in the digital world, is evolving as it is embedded in robots and devices to perceive physical space and make its own judgments. Jensen Huang, chief executive officer (CEO) of Nvidia, raised the concept of "physical AI" as a theme at CES 2025 earlier this year.
Physical AI is a core theme of CES 2026, the world's largest IT and home appliance show, to be held in Las Vegas from Jan. 6 to 9 (local time). The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES, picked "Robotics" as one of the key trends of next year's event. It is evidence that in just one year after Huang's presentation, physical AI, which had been discussed conceptually, has entered the "commercialization stage." Observers say the center of gravity in AI development is shifting from conversational (chatbot) services to the field of robotics. Korea corporations, in line with this trend, are moving to achieve results in the global market by putting forward a "robot technology ecosystem."
According to the industry on the 29th, the Humanoid M.AX (manufacturing AI transformation) Alliance will set up a joint pavilion at CES 2026 to showcase an industrial ecosystem spanning robot parts, platforms, and AI. This group is a subcommittee of the "M.AX Alliance," launched in Sept. under the leadership of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, with about 1,300 corporations and institutions currently participating. About 250 industry-academia-research organizations related to Humanoid Robot, including LG Electronics, Doosan Robotics, Seoul National University, KAIST, the Korea Institute of Robot and Convergence, the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and the Korea Association of Robot Industry, are included. Through this alliance, the government has set a plan to mass-produce more than 1,000 humanoids annually by 2029.
In the joint exhibition hall created by the Humanoid M.AX Alliance at CES 2026, 10 corporations will operate 20 booths. About 900 corporations from Korea are scheduled to participate in CES 2026, and this will be the only Korea booth dedicated to humanoids. Robot platform corporations such as AeiROBOT, Robros, and ROBOTIS, and humanoid AI developer Tomorrow Robotics plan to introduce their technologies and products here. The participation of "robot parts" makers such as SBB TECH, Aiden Robotics, Tesollo, and Faraday Dynamics is cited as a differentiator. In the United States and China, exhibitions tend to focus on robot "finished products," whereas the Korea booth emphasizes the organic consolidation of an ecosystem encompassing parts, platforms, and AI.
Ryu Jae-wan, CEO of SBB TECH (general director of the K-Humanoid Alliance), said, "In the era of physical AI, competitiveness depends less on the performance of a single robot and more on how reliably the drivetrain, control, and AI that support it are integrated in real industrial environments," and added, "CES 2026 will be the starting point for the Korea-style robot ecosystem to be evaluated as a fully realized competitive model in the global market."
AeiROBOT will demonstrate technology in which its robots "Alice 4" and "Alice M1" divide processes and perform actions continuously. ROBOTIS will show a process in which a robot "gripper" recognizes and sorts empty bottles placed at random. There will also be a demonstration of a stationary robot holding a brush to write on a jar. Tomorrow Robotics will exhibit the Humanoid Robot "RB-V1." This robot can recognize objects and perform assigned tasks in an industrial conveyor environment.
SBB TECH plans to exhibit various parts needed to drive such robots. It will show how the following are used in actual industrial sites: ▲ a "harmonic reducer" that adjusts a motor's rotational speed to increase the precision of robot joints ▲ a "compact actuator" that moves when it receives an electrical signal, serving as the robot's muscles ▲ a "steering and eccentric drive" that controls a robot's travel path and fine movements.
Large corporations such as LG Electronics, Hyundai Motor Group, Doosan Robotics, and HL Group will each set up booths to showcase their "physical AI" capabilities. LG Electronics will unveil the home robot "LG CLOi:D" at CES 2026 to reduce household labor. The robot can delicately move five fingers to pick up various items around the house. It can even interact by doing a fist bump with a person. An LG Electronics official said, "Outfitting the body with two arms and five fingers is the form best suited for smoothly performing household tasks in living environments designed for the human body," and added, "Based on AI, it will not only perceive and learn its surroundings on its own, but also control various appliances according to the resident's schedule and lifestyle to serve as an assistant that cares for the customer."
Boston Dynamics, the Hyundai Motor Group robot development corporation, will demonstrate the Humanoid Robot "Atlas," which is equipped with a 360-degree rotating joint, as well as the quadruped robot "Spot" and the mobility platform "MobED" at CES 2026. Doosan Robotics will showcase "Scan&Go," a robot that can analyze and finish or grind the surfaces of large, complex structures such as aircraft and buildings, while HL Group will introduce the group's robot ecosystem technologies, including robot joint drive units and the logistics robot "CARRY."
According to market researcher Statista, the physical AI market grew from $5 billion (about 7.16 trillion won) in 2020 to $22.5 billion (about 32.22 trillion won) this year. It is expected to reach $64.3 billion (about 92.084 trillion won) in 2030. Morgan Stanley also analyzed that the global Humanoid Robot market could grow to about $5 trillion (about 7,160 trillion won) by 2050.
Before each CES, the CTA reviews entries and awards "Innovation Awards" to products with outstanding technology. The number of entries in the Robotics category for the CES 2026 Innovation Awards increased 32% from this year. That surpasses the growth rate of entries in the AI category (29%). Of the 15 winners in the Robotics category, eight are Korea corporations.