Climbing vacuums to cyber pets: What were the highlights of CES 2026?

CES 2026 has offered a glimpse of a future that feels straight out of a sci-fi movie.

The tech show has featured bendable screens, paper-thin TVs and cars and gadgets that can think for themselves as they get to know you and your family’s wants and needs.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said: “The ChatGPT moment for physical AI is here.”

Here is a recap of some of the attention-grabbing gadgets at CES 2026, the annual technology trade show in Las Vegas:

– Star Wars and Lego

Lego leaned heavily into fan nostalgia this week to unveil its latest innovation, enlisting Lucasfilm chief creative officer David Filoni and a line-up of Star Wars characters, including Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and X-wing pilots.

On Monday, the company introduced Lego Smart Play, a new platform built around connected bricks, tags and specially designed mini-figures in partnership with Star Wars.

These smart bricks are equipped with sensors that detect light and distance, triggering coordinated lights and sounds when used together to bring builds to life.

The platform allows fans to build interactive scenes, like space battles or lightsaber duels.

– Real buttons are back

Clicks Technology is reviving the physical phone keyboard with its magnetic Qwerty model that clips on phones.

Co-founder Jeff Gadway said the company’s Power Keyboard “is one keyboard for all your smart devices”.

It features a full Qwerty layout, with directional keys and a number row, in a throwback to the Blackberry era of smartphones for those who miss real buttons. The company said it also doubles as a wireless power bank.

– Return of LG’s Wallpaper TV line

TV announcements are a common feature at CES — some big, some small, some even transparent. But LG brought something distinct this year – an OLED TV that’s only 9mm thick.

The South Korean tech company announced the OLED evo W6 model from its Wallpaper line just ahead of CES but reporters and industry representatives were able to see it for the first time at the show.

As advertised, the screen displays video nearly edge-to-edge and is ridiculously thin (though it does not roll up like its name implies). Like the previous models in its Wallpaper line, the TV’s inputs are housed in a box that sits nearby.

LG representatives claim you can seamlessly stream 4K video and audio to the screen. No pricing was available but the new TV will be available in 77 and 83-inch sizes.

– The vacuum that can climb stairs

Chinese robovac maker Roborock introduced a vacuum that literally sprouts chicken-like legs to navigate up and down stairs. There are vacuums out there capable of this feat (and there were even a few others at CES) but this one actually cleans the steps along the way.

The newly introduced Saros Rover took its time in its ascent and descent during the demo on the showroom floor, but Roborock said it will be able to traverse almost any style of stairwell, including spiralled and curved. Unfortunately, no release date was given for the Rover, which the company says is still in development.

– Razer goes the smart glasses route with headphones

Gaming tech company Razer brought a very interesting concept to CES, a set of over-ear headphones that can largely replicate the capabilities of currently available smart glasses.

During the demo, Razer’s host asked the AI-powered headset — dubbed Project Motoko — to translate a Japanese restaurant menu into English.

The headphones see using built-in cameras and take audio inputs from microphones. What AI model serves as the base of the headphones is up to the user, and it sounded like the usual suspects were supported — ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude.

While it is being developed largely as a consumer product, Razer did mention that it could be sold to businesses to gather data to train AI models.

– A ‘cyber pet’ that turned heads at CES

Chinese tech brand Ollobot has pitched a futuristic alternative to cats and dogs – a rolling, purple “cyber pet” named OlloNi.

Part plush toy, part AI robot, OlloNi is designed to feel warm and expressive, unlike the stiff, humanoid home robots that often dominate robotics, the company said.

OlloNi uses a screen mounted at its neck, making eye contact and cycling through thousands of animated expressions meant to mirror human emotion and interaction.

Scratch behind its fuzzy “ears” and OlloNi’s wide digital “eyes” pop open in apparent delight, which drew attention and laughs from passers-by on the show floor.

– Extended-reality platform aims to help process grief

VHEX Lab showcased its SITh.XRaedo, an immersive extended-reality grief therapy platform that creates a virtual avatar from a single photo and, according to the company, is guided in real time by a trained XR therapist.

Wearing a virtual reality headset, users can speak with the avatar, which responds through speech, nods, smiles and other gestures.

The company, which won a digital health innovation award at CES, said the platform is designed to help people process grief and find closure, offering an alternative way to mourn.

– Uber drives back into the robotaxi game

Uber used CES to pull back the curtain on its upcoming robotaxi, offering the public a first look at a self-driving vehicle developed with luxury EV maker Lucid Motors and autonomous technology company Nuro.

Uber called it the most premium robotaxi yet, with cameras, sensors and radar for full 360-degree awareness, along with a sleek, low-profile roof “halo” fitted with LED screens that display a rider’s initials and ride status. Inside, passengers can tailor the temperature, seat heating and music, while on-screen visuals show what the vehicle sees and the route it plans to follow in real time.

The companies said on-road testing, led by Nuro, began in the San Francisco area last month, as they work toward launching the service before the end of the year.