CES 2025: The Diverse World of Robots - From Humanoids to Social Companions

There Sure Are a Lot of Robots at CES: Here's Why We're Not Picking a Favorite

My mental images of robots include friendly Rosey the Robot of Jetsons fame, R2-D2 and C3PO from Star Wars, and the various cyborgs from the terrifying Terminator franchise. There's a big range between a dutiful, rolling maid, helpful but sometimes hapless droids and a cyborg that's either going to kill you or try to help you escape another robot that's out to kill you. CNET writers visiting the enormous 2025 CES tech show in Las Vegas ran into plenty of robots -- though thankfully, none of them were murderous. CNET's Jesse Orrall said he didn't feel ready to crown any of the CES robots as the best in show. "Some look like science fiction, some look like toys, and some were made to look almost human," Orrall said. Read more: These Are the Official 2025 Best of CES Winners, Awarded by CNET Group The Unitree G1 was the most fun of all the robots Orrall saw at CES. "It was the only humanoid robot at CES that I had the opportunity to control," he said. "The controller itself felt very natural and familiar, like the video game controllers I grew up with. And the experience of controlling it felt like test-driving a really cool car that I'll probably never be able to afford." Other humanoid robots, including Apptronix Apollo and Digit from Agility Robotics, showcased their abilities in controlled environments, or without letting journalists get their pesky hands on them. "Autonomy is a major milestone for robotics developers," Orrall said, noting that it will make their products more appealing to businesses that will want the robots to work with minimal supervision and inputs. But because of the chaotic nature of the sprawling CES event, this focus on autonomy meant those robots were separated from the public, more like a piece of art in a museum than a tangible tool. To Orrall, the remote-controlled robots are more accessible. Comparing it with some self-driving cars without steering wheels, he said, "I don't know about you, but I still want the steering wheel. I still want a human to be able to step in and take control when needed." His experience using the controller to direct the Unitree G1 robot made him feel like the robot was an extension of human ability. Another robot group Orrall saw at CES was what he'd dub social robots. These look more like humans, a la The Terminator cyborgs, and less like metallic structures from early sci-fi. (Sorry, Rosey from The Jetsons.) Aria from Realbotix, who looks like a Swedish supermodel, is one of those social robots. "Realbotix is on a mission to make their robots as human-like as possible," Orrall said. This includes a skin-like covering, motors in the face to create expressions and a vision system that can lock on to and track nearby people and objects. "What really struck me about my visit to Realbotix was their idea of putting RFID tags inside the silicon faces, so when you take off a robot's face and put on another one, the hardware and software will recognize that specific face and adjust the movements and AI personality to match," Orrall said. He compared that technique with how smartphones and computers can run different operating systems and applications, and be customized to suit different tastes. Some robots Orrall saw at CES steered clear of both the uncanny valley of human-looking robots and the industrial metallic look, making them look like cuddly animals or toys. One of those, still a concept right now, is the TCL Ai Me (pronounced "Amy") robot concept, which rolls around in a little chair, kind of like Baby Yoda in his hover-pram. A camera on its head can record video, and it can use AI to answer questions. These robotics companies are hoping the cute factor will make their robots appealing. "Overall, my impression is that the robotics industry, especially humanoid robotics, is still maturing," Orrall said. Thus, that "top spot in the robotics category" is still up for grabs, he said, and he can't crown the best robot of CES. That's probably a good thing. If what I learned from gleefully out-of-date sci-fi movies still holds, the robots that didn't win might take some kind of revenge.

Sorry, There Are No 'Best Robots' at CES This Year - Video

We saw a lot of awesome robots at CES this year but can't crown any of them "the best." Here's why. So this was supposed to be a video about the best robots at CES and while I did see a lot of awesome robots this year, I don't feel ready to crown any of them the best just yet. I will run down what I saw and why this video turned out a little differently than I'd planned. There were a ton of robots at CES this year. Some looked like science fiction, some look like toys, and some were made to look almost human. I can say that by far the most fun I had was with the Unit Tree G1. It was the only humanoid robot at CES that I had an opportunity to control. The controller itself felt very natural and familiar, like the video game controllers I grew up with, and the experience of controlling it felt like test driving a really cool car that I'll probably never be able to afford. Other robots we saw like Aptronics, Apollo. And digit from Agility robotics opted to showcase their autonomy through demos in a controlled environment. Autonomy is a major milestone for robotics developers and something that makes their products more appealing to businesses that will want robots to work with minimal supervision and inputs. So it's natural they'd want to showcase that at an event like CES. However, because of the chaotic nature of the CES show floor environment with bustling crowds and loud noises, the focus on autonomy actually ends up separating these robots from the public, like a work of art and a. or an animal in a zoo rather than a tangible tool or a piece of tech. Some people might be less interested in robots that are remote controlled, but in my opinion it makes them more accessible. It's kind of like with self-driving cars. There are some folks, myself included, who still have some reservations about autonomous driving, but that hasn't stopped some companies from taking out the steering wheel and their car designs altogether. I don't know about you, but I still want the steering wheel. I still want a human to be able to step in and take control when needed. Getting behind the wheel. Unitree G1, so to speak, made a humanoid robot feel like an extension of human ability for me for the first time. Instead of watching from afar as an autonomous robot performs tasks traditionally performed by humans, I got to control a robot myself and in doing so learn more about how it works than I ever have from all the polished demo videos I've seen over the years. There's a whole other category of robots I saw at CES this year that I would call social robots. These are robots that are turning away from the metallic sci-fi industrial. Aesthetic and trying to relate to humans on a more emotional level through appearance and conversation. Realbotics is on a mission to make their robots as human-like as possible, including a skin like covering, motors in the face to create expressions, and a vision system that can lock onto and track nearby people and objects. What really struck me about my visit to realbotics was their idea of putting RFID tags inside the silicone faces so that when you take off a robot's face and put on another one, the Hardware and software will recognize that specific face and adjust the movements and AI personality to match. It made me realize that these humanoid robots are really a lot like phones and computers in that they can run different operating systems, applications, and be customized to suit different tastes. Other companies have tried to avoid passing through the uncanny valley at all, but still make their robots approachable by focusing on a toy-like cuteness, a sassy attitude, or a cartoonish exterior. Overall, my impression is that the robotics industry, especially humanoid robotics, is still maturing, and whether they're made for the theme park, the warehouse, the home, or something else, I really feel like that top spot in the robotics category is still up for grabs, which is why I'm not crowning a best robot at CES this year. What do you think of all the robots we saw this year? Let us know down in the comments and subscribe to CNET for the latest and greatest tech news. Thanks so much for watching. I'm your host Jesse Orrell. See you next time with the fam.