I met a lot of weird robots at CES — here are the most memorable

CES has long been a showcase for robots, and this year's event was no exception. Several notable robotics milestones were announced, including the production-ready debut of Atlas, Boston Dynamics' humanoid robot. Beyond the big announcements, the show floor was packed with robots designed to attract attention and demonstrate future possibilities.

While many of these machines don't necessarily reflect the current state of large-scale commercial deployment, they do offer a glimpse of where robotics may be headed. And, naturally, they're entertaining to watch. I spent a significant amount of time exploring the robots on display at CES. Here are some of the most memorable ones I encountered.

The ping pong player

With the movie Marty Supreme having been released just a month ago, it felt fitting to see a ping-pong-playing robot at this year's show. Chinese robotics company Sharpa showcased a full-body robot competing in table tennis against a human staff member.

When I visited the booth, the robot was trailing its opponent 5–9, and the match itself wasn't especially fast-paced. Even so, watching a robot play ping pong was impressive in its own right. I've certainly seen human players whose skills were on par with—or worse than—the robot's. A representative from Sharpa explained that the company's primary product is its robotic hand, and the humanoid robot was built specifically to demonstrate the hand's dexterity.

The boxer

One of the busiest exhibits featured humanoid robots from EngineAI, a Chinese robotics company. The machines, called the T800—an apparent reference to the Terminator franchise—were placed inside a mock boxing ring and styled as combat robots.

Despite the setup, I never actually saw the robots strike one another. Instead, they performed a kind of shadowboxing routine near each other, avoiding direct contact. The bots were also unpredictable. One wandered out of the ring and into the crowd, drawing laughter and surprise from spectators. Another stumbled, fell face-first onto the floor, and remained there for a short time before standing back up. While far from a professional boxing match, the robots' human-like movements created an eerie but entertaining experience. I overheard one attendee remark, "That's too much like Robocop."

The dancer

Dancing robots are a familiar sight at CES, and this year followed that tradition. Unitree, a prominent Chinese robotics manufacturer, brought several robots to the show floor to demonstrate their dance routines.

Unitree has recently drawn attention for various technological claims, including a humanoid robot reportedly capable of running at speeds up to 11 miles per hour. Although the company has faced scrutiny over potential ties to the Chinese military, nothing of that nature was evident at the booth. Instead, visitors were treated to robots enthusiastically performing dance moves.

The convenience store clerk

Another stop was the booth for Galbot, a Chinese company focused on multimodal large language models and general-purpose robotics. The booth was designed to resemble a convenience store, with the robot integrated into a menu-based ordering system.

Visitors could select an item from a digital menu, prompting the robot to retrieve it from the shelves. After selecting Sour Patch Kids, I watched the robot pick up a box and deliver it. According to Galbot, similar robots are already operating in real-world environments, including pharmacies across China.

The housekeeper

Automating laundry folding has long been a significant goal in robotics, often considered a key benchmark of robotic capability. At Dyna Robotics' exhibit, a pair of robotic arms demonstrated this skill by folding clothing and neatly stacking it.

A company representative said Dyna has established partnerships with hotels, gyms, and factories. One such partner is Monster Laundry in Sacramento, California. The business integrated Dyna's robotic folding system late last year and now describes itself as the first laundry facility in North America to deploy the company's advanced folding technology.

Dyna has also attracted significant investment. In September, the company closed a $120 million Series A funding round with participation from Nvidia's NVentures, Amazon, LG, Salesforce, and Samsung.

The butler

I also visited LG's area at CES to see its latest home robot, CLOiD. While undeniably charming, the robot wasn't exactly speedy compared to others on display. Still, it offered a glimpse into LG's vision for domestic robotics and the role such machines could eventually play in everyday household tasks.