The future at CES 2026

Source: CES website. CES 2026 has wrapped up.

The future is no longer arriving; it is here, and CES 2026 was where it was deployed according to the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the owner and producer of the milestone tech event.

With more than 4,100 exhibitors and over 148,000 attendees from around the world, CES 2026 was also the largest post-pandemic CES event. 

“CES is the world’s most powerful proving ground for innovation,” said Gary Shapiro, Executive Chair and CEO, CTA.  

“CES is more than a showcase; it’s where technology meets community, business, and policy. Global leaders, startups, and policymakers came together to highlight technologies that will define the next decade of economic growth and competitiveness.”

Said Kinsey Fabrizio, President, CTA: “CES brings the global tech ecosystem together for an unmatched volume of deal-making, partnerships, and idea-sharing. The innovation unveiled this week spanning AI, quantum, mobility, robotics, health, and so much more, underscores CES as the global stage where bold ideas move from vision to reality.” 

Highlights included:

Accessibility 

Accessibility technology is increasingly focused on breaking down everyday barriers by making devices and environments more usable for people of all abilities through AI, wearables, and tools that support independent living. 

Wearables like augmented reality (AR) glasses, smart watches, and rings now offer real-time assistance, personalised alerts, and advanced health tracking, while many smartphones integrate features such as live captioning, enhanced magnification, object identification, and at-home hearing tests. 

In the home, voice assistants, smart appliances, and security systems are helping older adults safely age in place, showing how accessibility innovation is improving quality of life and expanding independence worldwide. 

Exhibitors included: ATDev, Digireha, .lumen, Revimo, Tombot, WheelMove, and WiRobotics.

AI

The world is shifting from digital transformation to intelligent transformation, with AI fundamentally reshaping enterprise operations, worker roles, and everyday life. AI is evolving across multiple frontiers, including digital twins, agentic AI, vertical AI, industrial AI, and physical AI in robotics.

Exhibitors included: AMD, DEEPX, Lenovo, LG Electronics, NVIDIA, NXP Semiconductors, Omi, PLAUD, Samsung Electronics, Soundhound AI, TCL, and XREAL. 

Content & entertainment

Streaming services are evolving beyond subscriber counts, focusing on ecosystem integration, bundled offerings, and premium original content to build lasting audience loyalty. Free ad-supported streaming television (FAST TV) is gaining traction as an ad-supported alternative, while short-form social video is reshaping viewing habits. 

Media companies are responding with flexible formats, bingeable intellectual property (IP), and AI-driven discovery to define the next era of entertainment. 

Exhibitors included: Amazon Prime Video, Charter Communications, Dolby, Marriott International, Meta, NBCUniversal Media, Netflix, Onanoff, Reddit, Roku, SiriusXM, Snap, The Trade Desk, Uber, X Xperi, and Xumo. 

Digital health

Digital health innovations focused on accessibility, early detection, outcome prediction, and virtual nursing. At CES 2026, these breakthroughs were showcased alongside smart home technologies designed to support living and ageing in place. 

Exhibitors included: AARP, Abbott, Earflo, myolab.ai, Vivoo, and Withings.

Energy 

CES 2026 hosted next-gen energy solutions that can transform mobility, industry, and homes. Battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cells, plug-in hybrids, and extended-range electric vehicles (EVs) were featured across everything from e-bikes to heavy-duty construction and agricultural vehicles. 

Beyond transportation, breakthroughs in large-scale and residential battery energy storage, smart home energy management devices, and portable power systems are strengthening grid reliability and meeting rising demand. There were also developments in solar, small modular nuclear reactors, and nuclear fusion.

Exhibitors included: Donut Lab, Evotrex, Flint Paper Battery, Jackery, Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), SPOG Trailers, Stryten Energy, and Superheat. 

Enterprise

Enterprise technology now depends on foundational capabilities such as 5G, cloud, cybersecurity, robotics, and AI. At CES 2026, the full enterprise stack was on display, including chips, edge computing, mobile technologies, and enterprise extended reality (XR) that strengthen collaboration, improve productivity, and extend digital capabilities across workforces and industrial settings. 

Exhibitors included: Amazon Ring, Cerence AI, Qualcomm, Siemens, and Wisdomain. 

Mobility

Travel is becoming a smarter, safer, and more stylish. Modern autonomous vehicles now leverage advanced sensors paired with intelligent software and AI mapping tools that adapt in real time to traffic, weather, and road conditions for smoother, more reliable journeys. The rise of robotaxis, autonomous shuttles, and even self-driving bikes and scooters is expanding mobility options and redefining transportation. 

Agriculture, construction, and industrial technology are also evolving as automation, electrification, and AI makes farms and worksites safer, cleaner, and more sustainable. 

Exhibitors included: BMW, Brunswick Corporation, Caterpillar, Doosan Bobcat, Geely, John Deere, Oshkosh, Pliyt, Qualcomm, Sony Honda Mobility, and Tensor Auto. 

Robotics

Robotics descended upon CES 2026 as “physical AI,” turning breakthroughs in AI into adaptable machines capable of delivering complex real-world outcomes. Innovation is accelerating through analytical AI, which enables robots to process more data and make smarter decisions, and generative AI, which powers simulation-based training so robots learn through virtual experience rather than rigid programming. 

Humanoid robots are emerging as a major frontier, moving from single-task roles toward collaborative assistants, while robotics overall is expanding across home, industrial, medical, supply chain, and mobility applications to improve safety, efficiency, and workforce resilience. 

Exhibitors included: Hyundai, Primech AI, Richtech Robotics, Sharpa, Tuya, Yarbo International, and YuShu Technology Company (Unitree).

Wearables 

Wearables continue to grow in value across health, fitness, accessibility, and entertainment, driven by momentum in smart and AR glasses as well as expanding smartwatch and smart ring markets. At CES 2026, the latest smart glasses evolved with generative AI voice interfaces for hands-free daily use, plus features like real-time translation, recording, and even QR payments. 

Health-focused wearables also gained traction, ranging from earbuds pursuing US government approval for over-the-counter hearing aid capabilities to advanced electrocardiogram (ECG) smartwatches and smarter rings. These devices are seeing wider adoption, with doctors beginning to recommend them for tracking meaningful wellness data, the CTA said. 

Exhibitors included: Asus, Omi, Pulsetto, RingConn, and Ultrahuman Healthcare. 

Smart homes

The smart home ecosystem now covers appliances, assistants, energy management, entertainment, robots, and security with solutions focused on consumer control, convenience, and sustainability. AI-driven personalisation and predictive automation are becoming standard, enabling homes to anticipate needs through adaptive security, lighting, appliances, and thermostats that learn routines and optimise performance. 

Exhibitors included: Bosch, Dreame Innovation Technology, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and SwitchBot. 

Startups 

Some 1,200 startups launched products in 40+ global pavilions.

Exhibitors included: Core Devices, Coroflo, Iceplosion, Nosh Robotics, and Skwheel.

Keynotes

AMD

AMD’s keynote was delivered physically to a full-capacity crowd. As demand exceeded available space, thousands more streamed the keynote. AMD Chair and CEO Dr Lisa Su discussed how the company’s portfolio of AI products and deep cross-industry collaborations are turning the promise of AI into real-world impact, highlighting that AI is everywhere and for everyone. 

Su unveiled new AI-focused products, including the Ryzen AI 400 Series for next-gen AI PCs, the MI440X GPU for enterprise, and the Ryzen AI Halo developer platform, emphasising AI integration from data centres to edge devices and real-world applications with partners like OpenAI. She also provided an early look at its Helios rack-scale platform.

Siemens 

Siemens AG President and CEO Roland Busch unveiled technologies to accelerate the industrial AI revolution. NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang joined Busch on stage to expand their partnership to build the industrial AI operating system. 

Siemens launched Digital Twin Composer software to power the industrial metaverse at scale. Athina Kanioura, CEO, Latin America and Global Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer of PepsiCo, discussed how PepsiCo uses the Digital Twin Composer software to simulate upgrades to its facilities in the US, with plans to scale globally. 

Siemens also highlighted new technologies for accelerating drug discovery, autonomous driving, and shop floor efficiency. In manufacturing, Siemens announced a collaboration to bring industrial AI to Meta Ray-Ban AI Glasses.

Havas 

Yannick Bolloré, CEO and Chairman at Havas and Vivendi Chairman, sat with Jim Stengel, President/CEO of The Jim Stengel Company, to cover how the convergence of technology and human ingenuity is unlocking unprecedented creative possibilities. Collaboration between tech and talent will define the next wave of storytelling, they concluded.

Bolloré also announced AVA, a new AI-powered platform designed to help teams move from brief to breakthrough in record time.

Lenovo Tech World

Lenovo brought its Tech World experience inside the iconic Sphere at Las Vegas. Lenovo Chairman and CEO Yuanqing Yang delivered an immersive showcase centred on AI and real-world applications, with appearances from leaders at AMD, FIFA, Intel, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and Sphere. 

Yang announced a new AI platform, Lenovo Qira, and unveiled new devices including ThinkPads in the Aura edition portfolio as well as Motorola’s first folding phone that opens like a book, the Razr Fold.

Caterpillar

Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed shared that the company isn’t just about heavy machinery anymore — it’s going high-tech. His keynote painted a bold picture of Caterpillar’s future, where advanced technologies are redefining construction and equipment. 

Creed also announced the Cat AI Assistant, making it easier for customers to buy, maintain, manage, and operate their equipment. The launch redefined how work gets done by combining data, AI, and heavy equipment to help customers improve productivity, efficiency, and safety. 

ŌURA 

ŌURA CEO Tom Hale joined Bloomberg’s Ed Ludlow on stage at the CES Leaders in Technology Dinner to explore how wearables are revolutionising personal health tracking and the demographics driving adoption. The conversation highlighted the rapid growth of the wearables market and the opportunities ahead as technology empowers consumers and transforms healthcare.

Details

Watch Shapiro and Fabrizio together with Cristiano Amon, CEO and President, Qualcomm during the CES 2026 State of the Industry Address at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgzhLcKakHk 

CES turns 60 in 2027. It will run from January 6-9, 2027 in Las Vegas. Sign up for registration notifications at https://www.ces.tech/attend/registration-notification/

CES Asia is scheduled for June 10-12 this year in Beijing.