CES 2024: A Glimpse into the Future of Robotics and Smart Hardware
My top trends and insights from this year's conference
Last week, droves of hardware enthusiasts descended on Las Vegas in their annual migration to the 2024 Consumer Electronics Showcase and the 5-day flurry of activity it entails. I jumped headlong into the fray (as I have done for the past 4 years), and although I wasn’t sure what to expect given 2023’s pullback in startup funding and the slow down in the robotics sector, I’m pleased to report that this year’s mega-show did not disappoint!
It was encouraging to see that many of the robotics startups I had met during CES 2023 returned this year in full force. They were exhibiting new product lines that showcased impressive forward progression of their technology, plus they all had bigger sales teams - a strong signal about the health and resilience of the sector. Now that I am back in NYC, I’m eager to share some of my takeaways from CES and report the most exciting robotic trends - a sector that continues to astound, evolve, and inspire me personally.
Why CES Matters for the Robotics World
Beyond the glitz, gizmos, and fads of consumer electronics, CES continues to be a beacon for the hardware community (despite its frenetic atmosphere). For founders, the exhibition floor is a lead-generation catalyst. For investors, it is a chance to broaden our awareness of the market and network, and for hardware enthusiasts the overall show is nothing short of a mind-blowing experience with plenty of fan-fare, entertainment, and notable restaurants to keep you running for an entire 24-hour cycle.
I typically prefer to invest in B2B companies, but I have always found that consumer-focused innovations offer valuable insights that are difficult to obtain elsewhere. Here is what they reveal:
☝🏾 - The innovations at CES reflect the market's growing appetite for robotics and the zeitgeist of our hardware community. Because it is a public facing conference, exhibitors focus on marketing to consumer interest. Just by observing the types of technologies on display, and the industries that are getting the most attention, it is easy to get a read on the market sentiment about robotics. This year we witnessed an abundance of A.I., humanoids, medical applications, autonomous vehicles (in all shapes and sizes and for all industries), virtual personal assistants, and as usual, souped-up vacuuming robots for nearly every facet of daily life (the pool, deck, lawn, skating rink, you name it).
✌🏾 - The industries that are present at CES spotlight crucial sectors ripe for robotic innovation and those that have had recent technological breakthroughs. For any exhibitor, it only makes business sense to showcase at CES if they have something new to reveal to the world. CES is a show of imagination and novelty - not necessarily a direct reflection of the currently available offerings. That’s why startups make the annual pilgrimage, and why the large technology companies spare no expense to excite our imaginations with concept vehicles that fly, swim, and transform into mobile offices, and more. While we can expect that some percentage of the solutions shown will *never* actually make it to market, some will, and that is useful to know when trying to see around the corners of scientific invention. In that way, CES offers a unique opportunity to imagine what the world could look like in the next decade.
🤟🏾 CES showcases the cutting edge capabilities of embodied AI (and just as often, the persisting limitations). Nothing attracts a crowd like a live demonstration. At a conference with so many startups competing for attention, the companies that see the highest return on their efforts are those who have robotics solutions that function well outside of a laboratory and, even better, are robust enough be tested by any untrained passersby. So it is unsurprising that the hallways of Eureka Park (the area in the Venetian reserved for startup exhibits) were filled with automated products that rolled, lumbered, crawled, or otherwise sprung to life to put their best performance on display for attendees. My personal favorite demo was watching a football game using my fingers.
The Robotics Insights from CES 2024
This year’s show called particular attention to robotics technology across three burgeoning categories: humanoids, exoskeleton tech, and autonomous vehicles. Here I’ll share my brief thoughts on the emergence of each group and what it could mean for their futures.
The Star Wars Future of Humanoids and Anthropomorphic Bots
Unitree’s H1 (which they allowed audience participants to kick during the demo to showcase its dynamic stabilization capabilities), Kepler Robotics’s newest bot, Samsung’s Ballie (for smart assistance around the home), and others represented the diverse variety of form factors and uses for human-like robots.
We are trending towards a world with room, and jobs, for both a C3PO and an R2-D2, rather than one single dominant do-it-all design. CES displayed a microcosm of this trend with robots especially designed to match their environments and end customers. The smiling faces and curved edges of indoor and domestic robots showed in stark contrast to the hulking and angular humanoids uniquely crafted for labor intensive manual work.
Beyond form, the humanoids specialized across skill sets. Some navigated the complexities of home environments, tracked facial expressions, and kept an eye the dog while the owner is out, while others executed swarm behaviors, and were particularly good at standing back up after being knocked over. Since building complex functionality into a robot requires intensive effort, the resulting capabilities they exhibit carefully reflect the behaviors that end buyers value most. I believe this trend will continue over the coming years, and improvements in specialized intelligence will enable them to play a larger role in their respective domains.
Full Metal Jacket - The Evolution of Wearable Exoskeletons
The surge in exoskeleton technology on display was remarkable. Both the variety and sophistication of these devices have advanced noticeably as compared to last year’s rudimentary offerings. Highlights included Hurotics’s high performance H-Flex and H-Fit exoskeletons, WIRobotics WIM exoskeleton for walking assistance and fall prevention, Hypershell’s exoskeletons for hiking, and ATDev's skateboarding feats.
This category is fast growing amongst outdoor athletes, and ability diverse communities. I believe this is the beginning of its journey to ubiquity and broad accessibility. The tech still appears to be cumbersome to wear and use regularly, but I expect to see the form factor slim down further such that it can be worn inconspicuously in daily life, and extend to further extremities (like ankles) within the next 24 months.
Getting from A to B - SLAM & Autonomous Navigation
The innovations in autonomy stacks were on full display. An early stage company I particularly liked was Opteran's robust navigation system. Their demo showed how their algorithm enabled a rover to autonomously navigate through a hall of mirrors, in the midst of dynamically changing lighting, and only using camera vision to navigate 🤯 (Check out the demo here). This is even more impressive because they were able to do so with relatively little on board compute.
For later stage companies, I was impressed by Helm.AI's algorithms for all-conditions driving and autonomous navigation. They presented recordings of their technology navigating in adversarial conditions, and performing in specific use cases (most notably autonomous mining and construction). Their fully autonomous capability was for demonstration only and is expected to remain in R&D as they prioritize commercializing their autonomous driver assistance (ADA) product. Still, I left feeling optimistic about the future of autonomous driving - especially after the battering the sector took in 2023. This technology has made major strides, but still has a ways to go. We are getting closer to having robust autonomous driving, but the question remains whether the winner in this category will take the direct approach to Level 5 Autonomy or will rollout their system slowly over time.
Notable mentions in this category include Mobileye’s newest capabilities in SuperVision, along with groundbreaking delivery bots by Cartken, Ottonomy, and Mobinn (whose bot can drive up and down stairs!). If you are interested in the future of alternative modes of transportation check out Supernal’s and XPeng AeroHT’s ambitious EVToL projects.
That’s all for this recap of CES 2024!
As always, CES was a worthwhile opportunity to reconnect with industry leaders and visionaries. Special thanks to Nicholas, Greg, Bijoy, Jeff and many others for their insights and discussions.
Let me know what you think in the comments below. Don’t hesitate to reach out on LinkedIn, X, or via email if you want to chat.