CES 2026 Innovations That Feel Like They Came From a Sci-Fi Drama

"The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang declared at CES 2026, and the showfloor proved him right.

Here are the innovations that felt plucked straight from a dystopian drama.

Companions & Conversation

1. Ollobot OlloNi is a purple cyber-pet that's part plush toy, part AI robot. Unlike stiff humanoid machines, OlloNi feels warm and expressive, with a screen at its neck cycling through thousands of animated expressions. Scratch its fuzzy ears and its digital eyes pop open in delight—a reaction that drew consistent laughs from passersby.​

2. Lepro Ami takes companionship indoors: an 8-inch OLED desktop AI with dual cameras that track your movements and anchor a virtual avatar in your real space. Responses are empathetic and reactive. All data stays local, with physical camera shutters for privacy.​

3. Razer Project Motoko reimagines smart glasses as over-ear headphones with built-in cameras. During demos, it translated Japanese restaurant menus to English and pulled real-time news. Users pick their AI backbone—ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude.​

Mobility & Home

4. Strutt's EV1 is a self-driving wheelchair that navigates autonomously. Blindfolded volunteers rode through obstacle courses without touching controls. CEO Tony Hong said the chair's full sensor suite adjusts in real time, avoiding bumps, walls and people.​

5. LG's CLOiD is a humanoid home robot prototype with expressive eyes and articulated arms. Pitched for laundry, dishes and kitchen tasks, it learns household rhythms and interacts naturally with family members. It's still in development.​

The Weird Stuff

6. Lollipop Star plays music through bone conduction embedded in candy. Audio vibrates from your mouth through your teeth to your ears—silent to anyone watching. Price: around $9, available after CES.​

7. Nuralogix's Longevity Mirror is a smart mirror that talks back, displaying AR health metrics and responding to voice commands in real time.​

Luxury Autonomous

8. Uber's Robotaxi (built with Lucid Motors and Nuro) features 360-degree sensor coverage, a sleek roof "halo" with LED screens showing rider initials and status. Inside, passengers control temperature, seat heat and music while watching real-time route visualization. On-road testing in San Francisco began last month, with a planned 2026 launch.​

Grief Tech

9. VHEX Lab's SITh.XRaedo is an immersive extended-reality grief therapy platform that creates a virtual avatar from a single photo and is guided in real time by a trained XR therapist, the company says. Users wearing a VR headset can speak with the avatar, which responds through speech, nods, smiles and other gestures, and the company says the goal is to help families process grief and find closure.

Originally published on Enstarz