It was easy to get excited by, or fearful about, the future suggested by at least one robot that debuted at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week in Las Vegas.
Hyundai, better known for cars, chose this spot for the first public outing of Atlas, the previously lab-bound robot that came out of its 2020 purchase of dystopian robot manufacturer Boston Dynamics. Atlas, a humanoid with a flashlight face and kinda weirdly ripped torso that can lift 110 pounds, could not have looked more dystopian if they’d hung a sign around his neck reading “I’LL BE BACK (FOR YOUR JOB).”
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But take heart, humanity. The future of this CES nightmare fuel could yet look a lot like past CES robot nightmare fuel — which is to say, a lot of trade show sizzle that ultimately failed to sell a lot of steak. I’m one of many veteran CES reporters who encountered humanoids (plus canine-oids, and, uh, dino-oids?) at the top tech show over many years in the early part of this century.
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