Some of the major manufacturers in the consumer electronics space that I expected to see represented in the exhibit halls of CES 2026 (the Consumer Electronics Show) with the latest tech in flat-screen televisions, home appliances and more, were uncharacteristically absent in these categories this year.
In past years, we could count on marveling at massive displays of flat-screen televisions welcoming us to the latest in consumer technology from Samsung, Sony and Panasonic. Visitors would stand in awe as their senses were overwhelmed by colorful images and animations displayed in coordinated displays over multiple, large, flat-screen TVs. However, this year was different.
(Jan Wagner)
The Sony exhibit was occupied not by consumer tech, but rather by two electric Afeela automobiles. Afeela automobiles are premium-priced electric vehicles that are a collaboration between Honda and Sony. One of the two vehicles shown is being marketed now. The other was a prototype for a larger, more SUV-like future model. FYI, Ford, Mercedes, Audi, Toyota and other major auto companies seemed to be absent.
Unlike in past years where Panasonic shared a large amount of floor space with Samsung, Sony, LG, Hisense, TCL and other major players presenting devices in the consumer electronics space, “Panasonic — Explore The Future We Make” featured tech to evolve retail operations and tested volunteers with “Brain Healthcare Quotient Device,” which concluded that I might have the brain health of an 80-year old — ouch!.
(Jan Wagner)
Year after year Samsung had an increasingly greater, ever-more commanding presence at CES. It has evolved into a major player in the consumer electronics space, including televisions, home appliances and more, but this year, rather than dedicate massive CES exhibit hall space to displaying products from those categories, they chose to move that tech off-site, away from the CES exhibit halls. Instead, they chose to exhibit their state-of-the-art industrial robotic tech from Boston Dynamics: perhaps the world’s leading and most widely recognized robotics company.
Boston Dynamics is especially well known by consumers for its YouTube videos of dancing and otherwise gymnastically proficient robots, including the dog-like Spot and the more human-like robot Atlas.
According to the Boston Dynamics website (https://bostondynamics.com/about/), Boston Dynamics was originally spun off in 1992 by Marc Raibert from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Leg Lab, where he was soon joined by Robert Playter.
(Jan Wagner)
Their first dog-like (quadraped) robot was BigDog, introduced in 2004. It was their first such robot to leave its controlled lab environment and venture out onto the real world terrain. Today’s dog-like Boston Dynamics robot, named Spot, became commercially available in 2020.
Their first-generation human-like robot, named Atlas, made its debut in 2013. It demonstrated “full body balance and agility.” I remember early Boston Dynamics robots springing leaks of hydraulic fluid. This problem was addressed by the introduction of the first all-electric Atlas robot in 2024.
Stretch was introduced in 2021 as Boston Dynamics’ “first-purpose built robot, tackling a specific set of warehousing challenges.”
(Jan Wagner)
In that same year, an 80-percent stake in Boston Dynamics was acquired by Hyundai Motor Group, in a deal valued at $1.1 billion dollars (US) (https://bostondynamics.com/news/hyundai-motor-group-completes-acquisition-of-boston-dynamics-from-softbank/). Stated goals of the deal were “to accelerate the development of cutting-edge robotics featuring advanced mobility, manipulation and vision capabilities” and “create a robotics value chain, from robot component manufacturing to smart logistics solutions.”
“Today, hundreds of customers rely on (Boston Dynamics) solutions to transform the way they work and extend their reach.”
At CES, Boston Dynamics robots were featured on their Tech Stage and in their Tech Lab. Showing the tech in action were Spot and Atlas, as well as Stretch, MobED — a four-wheel, four-wheel-steering mobile robot platform; Hyundai WIA’s Parking Solution —cutting-edge automated automobile parking platforms that lift, rotate and re-position parked automobiles; an Automatic Charging Robot and more. They demonstrated smooth mobility as they performed tasks in simulated industrial and commercial environments. On-stage at the Samsung press conference, a few Spots danced for us.
It is important to note that unlike Rosie the Robot from the forward-looking TV cartoon show “The Jetsons,” Boston Dynamics robots are expensive machines intended for use in industry, not the home environment. They are pioneering technology that will likely, someday, be produced in larger scale, for use in homes.
To explore a wide variety of content dating back to 2002, with the most photos and the latest text, visit “AutoMatters & More” at https://automatters.net. Search by title or topic in the Search Bar in the middle of the Home Page, or click on the blue ‘years’ boxes and browse.
Copyright © 2025 by Jan Wagner – AutoMatters & More #913r1
