Dubbed the "Super Bowl" of the tech world, CES (International Consumer Electronics Show) officially commenced on January 6th in Las Vegas, USA. This four-day technological extravaganza, centered around the core theme of "Defining the Physical Boundaries of AI," brought together global leading enterprises and innovative forces to jointly explore the deep integration of artificial intelligence with the physical world. From embodied intelligent robots and spatial computing devices to intelligent cockpits and flying cars, CES 2026 served not only as a stage for technology demonstrations but also as a key barometer for the global technology industry. According to official data from the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, seven organizing entities facilitated the participation of 207 Chinese companies at the US exhibition, spanning cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence, smart wearables, and smart homes. This cohort included over 120 small and medium-sized tech enterprises alongside numerous benchmark companies representing China's technological prowess. The cutting-edge technologies showcased by these benchmark enterprises not only reflect the concentration of domestic technological advancement but also outline the critical directions of global industrial evolution. For investors, the technological pathways, scenario implementation capabilities, and globalization progress of these benchmark companies serve as core samples for analyzing trends in China's tech industry and as a vital window for identifying high-growth sectors and targets with significant technological barriers.
The Chinese robotics contingent made a formidable appearance, with the industrial chain presenting itself in a comprehensive, "systematic" manner. AI and robotics technologies, at a critical juncture of industrial transformation, undoubtedly emerged as a focal point of this year's CES, with global leading manufacturers collectively showcasing their latest achievements in various robots and core components. On the opening day of the event, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang stated in his keynote speech that the robotics field has officially entered its own "ChatGPT moment." NVIDIA introduced world models, including Cosmos Transfer 2.5 and Cosmos Predict 2.5, aimed at enhancing robots' ability to understand the physical properties and spatial relationships of the real world, while also releasing the Isaac GR00T N1.6 visual-language-action model for humanoid robots. LG's exhibited CLOiD housekeeping robot demonstrated autonomous capabilities in tasks like laundry and cooking. In this global arena of robotics technology, Chinese companies also delivered standout performances. Non-listed domestic manufacturers such as Unitree Robotics, Fourier Intelligence, Zhiyuan Robot, Galaxy General, and CloudMinds, among others, assembled with a strong lineup of innovative products across the full spectrum. From humanoid robots and wheel-legged robots to emotional companion robots and specialized operation robots, they comprehensively covered diverse scenarios including industrial applications, daily life, medical assistance, and emergency rescue, collectively sketching the industrial landscape of embodied intelligence alongside global leaders.
Beyond the aforementioned companies, incomplete statistics indicate that over 10 listed companies related to the robotics industry also participated in the exhibition. These enterprises covered not only complete machine applications but also various industrial segments such as joint modules, LiDAR, dexterous hands, 3D vision, and computing platforms. In terms of complete machines, Ninebot Limited showcased an AI-powered boundary-free lawnmowing robot and introduced outdoor robot navigation technology. Ecovacs Robotics exhibited pool-cleaning robots and lawnmowing robots with centimeter-level navigation. RoboSense debuted its instant delivery robot "Delivery Guy," capable of fully autonomous operation across nearly 20 complex steps from gift packing and transport to unboxing and recycling. Beijing Roborock Technology Co., Ltd. presented the world's first dual-wheel-legged architecture floor-cleaning robot, which navigates traditional cleaning "no-go zones" like stairs, slopes, and multi-level thresholds with ease, fundamentally breaking the mobility boundaries of robots and redefining home cleaning.
In the realm of dexterous hands, Lingyi Itech(Guangdong)Company, Shenzhen Zhaowei Machinery & Electronics Co.,Ltd., and Lens Technology Co.,Ltd. all showcased their self-developed, high-degree-of-freedom biomimetic dexterous hands. Notably, Lingyi Itech's multi-machine heterogeneous system drew significant attention, achieving efficient collaboration across six robots and robotic dogs of different models, brands, and body types. For perception systems, RoboSense exhibited the 3D safety LiDAR Safety Airy, while Orbbec Inc. launched multiple new 3D camera products adaptable for humanoid robots and outdoor AMR scenarios, also demonstrating compatibility solutions with the NVIDIA Jetson Thor platform. The JT series of robot LiDAR from Hesai Technology, having cumulatively delivered over 200,000 units, proved highly popular in the market. BLACK SESAME showcased SesameX, the industry's first multi-dimensional embodied intelligence computing platform for commercial robot deployment, marking its overseas debut. Robots and application solutions based on this platform, including the world's first dual-wheel-legged outdoor companion robot Rovar X3, Fourier's dexterous hand, and a robotic arm for waste sorting, were all displayed at the event. It is noteworthy that previously, various robotics components often operated "behind the scenes," but their collective move to the forefront, displayed alongside complete products, signifies a breakthrough progression for China's robotics industry from "fragmented layout" to "systematic integration," highlighting the overall competitiveness of the nation's robotics supply chain.
The wave of automotive intelligence is accelerating, with cross-border supply chain integration demonstrating the strength of Chinese smart manufacturing. As a frontline of global technological innovation, the automotive industry has always been one of the most watched sectors at CES. This year's event conveyed a clear signal: AI's role in defining automobiles has shifted from technological add-ons to fundamental re-engineering—cars are no longer merely "mobile tools" for transportation but are evolving into "intelligent partners" capable of emotional resonance, autonomous evolution, and ecosystem synergy, subtly altering the boundaries of human-vehicle relationships. At the exhibition, NVIDIA's groundbreaking move sent ripples through the industry: it released Alpamayo, the world's first open-source autonomous driving model with reasoning capabilities, aiming to simulate human decision-making logic through a Visual-Language-Action (VLA) architecture, directly addressing bottlenecks in autonomous driving for long-tail scenarios like extreme weather and construction detours. This move signifies NVIDIA's challenge, via an "open-source + physical AI reasoning model" path, to Tesla's dominant "closed-system + massive data training" paradigm, quietly intensifying a "battle of technical routes" on the CES stage, which also heralds the accelerated arrival of automotive intelligence.
Confronting the global wave of automotive intelligent transformation, domestic automakers delivered impressive report cards at CES 2026 through innovative achievements—vehicle manufacturers and supply chain partners are collaboratively advancing deep intelligent integration, comprehensively showcasing the "technology export + ecosystem fusion" strength of Chinese smart manufacturing from core components to complete vehicle manufacturing. Among them, GWMOTOR exhibited several models, including the Gaoshan 9 and the Wey brand's all-new Lanshan Intelligent Advanced Edition equipped with a VLA large model. GEELY AUTO showcased its All-domain AI 2.0 technology system, whose core includes the world's first WAM World Action Model; the accompanying Eva ultra-realistic emotional intelligence agent was upgraded to serve as the vehicle's intelligent hub, pushing in-vehicle interaction towards "Personal AI" evolution. Also exhibited was the Qianli Haohan G-ASD advanced driver-assistance system, capable of achieving L2 to L4 autonomous driving, with plans for highway L3 and Robotaxi operations by 2026. LEAPMOTOR, in collaboration with Qualcomm, launched the "Dual Snapdragon Automotive Platform Supreme Edition," with the Leapmotor D19 being the world's first quasi-mass-production vehicle to feature this platform, supporting L2 driving assistance and over 30 advanced functions. XPENG Motors exhibited the XPENG AEROHT "Land Aircraft Carrier" modular flying car, which has already garnered over 3,000 pre-orders and is scheduled for delivery by the end of 2026.
On the supply chain front, both Hesai Technology and RoboSense exhibited multiple LiDAR products. Hesai's "Hesai ATX Refreshed Edition" LiDAR has secured orders exceeding 4 million units from several global leading OEMs, with mass production and delivery scheduled to commence in April 2026. Hesai's concurrently unveiled L3 automotive-grade solution secured its first batch of passenger car mass-production design wins, slated for mass production by the end of 2026. RoboSense showcased several new digital LiDAR products covering full-scenario demands from consumer-grade robots to intelligent driving. Its mature digital LiDAR products (EM4, EMX, E1) debuted in complete automotive-grade form for the first time, catering to L2-L4 intelligent driving needs. BLACK SESAME exhibited the Huashan A2000 all-scenario general-purpose ADAS chip, which supports VLM/VLA model interaction, boasts tested performance comparable to top global intelligent driving chips, and has officially entered the global market after passing US reviews. The concurrently displayed Wudang C1296 cockpit-driving integrated solution achieves single-chip integration of cockpit and intelligent driving functions, receiving mass-production applications from partners like Dongfeng and Banma Zhixing. Notably, Hesai Technology, RoboSense, and BLACK SESAME are typical examples of companies leveraging core technologies from the intelligent driving sector to rapidly extend into the robotics industry chain, successfully achieving cross-scenario technology reuse. Their exhibitions at CES indicate that their "business cross-border integration" has yielded significant results, reflecting the current state of domestic automotive supply chain enterprises—breaking growth boundaries through technological innovation and continuously expanding new ecosystems to solidify competitive moats.
In wearables, AI glasses take center stage, with mass production poised for explosive growth. Following robotics and smart mobility, wearables also generated significant buzz at this CES. As one of the core topics of this year's exhibition, three categories of wearable devices—glasses, watches, and earphones—were highlighted in yellow in the official CES 2026 promotional animation. At the event, the wearable device exhibition area became a "must-visit" spot, with queues of attendees waiting to experience the products. Observations from the show floor indicated that the core highlight of the wearable section was the explosion of AI glasses, alongside multi-form products including smart rings, beauty devices, and health monitoring devices, covering scenarios such as daily wear, health, and entertainment. AI glasses were unequivocally the "center stage" of this year's wearable exhibition.
In the display of AI glasses-related products, Chinese brands accounted for over 60%, covering the entire industrial chain layout from complete products to core components. Complete product brands included TCL RayNeo, Rokid, XREAL, INMO, Quark, and Xingji Meizu. Notably, TCL RayNeo, an AI glasses brand under Tcl Technology Group Corporation, globally premiered the "RayNeo X3 Pro Project eSIM," a consumer-grade AR glasses with independent communication capability, pushing AR glasses towards evolution as "independent smart terminals." Concurrently, Xgimi Tech Co.,Ltd. globally launched its new AI glasses brand "MemoMind" and introduced two core products at the exhibition, marking a critical step in Xgimi's expansion from "smart projection" to "wearable devices." Minami Acoustics Limited exhibited "AiLens," an AI glasses developed in collaboration with ThinkAR under SoftBank Group, for which Minami Acoustics is responsible for ODM (Original Design Manufacturing). Focusing on "lightweight design, long battery life, and high cost-effectiveness," the product targets the "mass consumer-grade" market.
Amid the diverse亮相 of AI glasses brands, component suppliers also became exhibition highlights through technological innovation, building a core technology matrix encompassing "display-optics-precision transmission." In display technology, BOE exhibited micro-optical waveguide display modules (optical waveguide + Micro LED solution) adapted for AI glasses. Visionox and Tianma Microelectronics respectively brought customized micro flexible screens (Micro LED/flexible OLED), while Tcl Technology Group Corporation showcased printed OLED flexible display technology, collectively advancing AI glasses towards thinner, lighter, and higher-definition forms. In optical perception and imaging components, Lianchuang Electronic's 3D camera modules (featuring self-developed infrared filter technology) empowered environmental perception, while OFILM introduced optical solutions (including infrared cut-off filters, 3D structured light lenses) to enhance interaction precision. Appotronics provided high-brightness display cores for AR glasses with its LCoS AR optical engines (Dragonfly series). In precision transmission, Shenzhen Zhaowei Machinery & Electronics Co.,Ltd.'s micro transmission systems focused on focus adjustment and joint drive, ensuring hardware reliability. These innovative breakthroughs in components are providing the underlying support for complete product brands to realize "independent communication, lightweight design, and full-scenario interaction," evidencing the collaborative resilience of China's AI glasses industrial chain.
The soaring popularity of AI glasses at CES 2026 not only made them a focal point of the exhibition but also signaled a new industrial trend: driven by dual forces of technological breakthroughs (e.g., lightweighting, independent communication, full-scenario interaction) and scenario implementation (resonance between consumer-grade and professional-grade demand), the mass production of AI glasses is poised for takeoff, transitioning from "proof-of-concept" to a new stage of "mass popularization." Soochow Securities indicated that 2026 will become the inaugural year of AI terminal innovation, with tech giants like Meta, Apple, Google, and OpenAI all set to launch new terminal products. New form-factor terminals, represented by AI glasses, will accelerate their rollout, driving upgrade opportunities for key components such as SoCs, batteries, thermal management, communication modules, and optics.
In summary, compared to previous CES events, the core signal released by the 2026 exhibition is clearer: AI has broken through the limitations of being a technological "showcase" and is deeply embedded in the industrial value chain—its integration with various fields no longer remains at the superficial level of "functional addition" but has advanced to a stage of deep coupling involving "demand definition." This signifies that the wave of comprehensive AI embodiment is accelerating across industries, driving the industrial paradigm to leap from "technology demonstration" to "physical empowerment." The closed-loop of AI empowerment, shifting from cloud-based algorithms to physical entities, is rapidly being constructed. The concept of "AI's accelerated omnipresent penetration" is moving from theory to practice: from scenario adaptation in robotics, to the integration of perception and decision-making in intelligent driving, and the evolution of AI glasses into "independent terminals," all corroborate that this trend is not mere talk but an observable industrial reality. For investors, this is particularly crucial: as valuations for the AI hardware segment tend towards higher levels, investment opportunities in the application side are expected to encounter a substantive inflection point in 2026. The transition period from "technical validation" to "commercial scale" represents a core window for capturing scenario-based dividends.
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