Sometimes, AI just wants to be your friend. And while robot pets weren’t the biggest stars of CES 2026, they’ve become more than just noise and are signaling how AI is apparently leaving our screens and taking on a physical presence in our lives.

The GENE.01 humanoid robot is equipped with a full-body tactile skin, a distributed network of touch and force sensors covering its surface. This layer will allow the robot to sense contact, pressure, and even subtle physical interactions across its entire body.

Physical AI company Inbolt has released its next-generation bin picking system designed to bring physical artificial intelligence (AI) adaptability to industrial robotics by enabling robots to accurately identify, grasp and place parts, even when objects are randomly positioned or partially hidden.

Hyundai plans to manufacture 30,000 Atlas robots a year starting in 2028 at its high-tech Georgia auto factory.

The company says Atlas will be trained to work in its auto plants, adopting the same strategy that Tesla is using to validate its "Optimus" humanoid. Hyundai says it will build 30,000 robots globally by 2028, with a big robotics plant coming to America around then.