Robots have begun to accomplish tasks equivalent to a full-time human worker. In individual operations such as tightening screws, picking up cups, loading laundry, moving items, and cleaning, they have reached a stage where they execute tasks from start to finish without human intervention. In particular, led by China, the movement to entrust home appliances and industrial site tasks to robots is taking concrete shape.
At IFA 2026, Chinese home appliance companies displayed a large array of various robots, including humanoids.
In addition to the IFA NEXT hall, which was filled entirely with humanoids, Chinese companies also placed robots at the center of their individual exhibitions.
Chinese companies presented numerous cleaning robots close to commercialization. Roborock showcased a pool-cleaning robot for the first time. Companies specializing in pool robots, such as Wybot, Aiper, and Beatbot, also displayed separate product lineups.
Lawn-mowing robots, which are in high demand in Europe and North America, are also an area of focus, with major robot vacuum companies sequentially launching product lines. Not only robot vacuum makers like Eufy, Mova, and Ecovacs, but also specialized companies such as Antbot and Segway conducted sales and distribution consultations on site. Robot vacuums, which started with indoor cleaning, are expanding their operational scope to outdoor as well as underwater environments.
Robots have also begun to be directly deployed in production processes. Xiaomi demonstrated its humanoid CyberOne making hand hearts on site and interacting with the audience.
“CyberOne is being deployed on a pilot basis in our EV production processes for screw fastening and component manipulation,” a Xiaomi official said. Rather than a simple motion demonstration, it is already being used to handle tasks that previously required human hands on the production line. Mova, a company specializing in robot vacuums, also unveiled a “robotic hand,” signaling an expansion of its business scope.
At IFA NEXT, which presents future directions, a large number of Chinese robotics companies participated, including Unitree, AgiBot (MagicLab), Galbot, Pudu Robotics, and Agibot.
However, many demonstrations at IFA NEXT remained at the level of repeating pre-programmed movements. While they succeeded in capturing visitors' attention, cases showing what tasks they could handle at home or in industrial sites, or when they could be commercialized, were limited.
“Humanoids aimed at replacing precise tasks performed by humans are at a stage where the gap between vendors is very wide,” said an official from a South Korean company that participated in the exhibition. “Rather than the movements of walking and running themselves, whether the robot perceives surroundings, determines task order, and verifies execution results is key, and the gap was particularly wide in the ability to self-recover from failed tasks or verify results.” This indicates that the gap remains large depending on the company and application category.
South Korean companies have embarked on attempts to control the entire home appliance ecosystem through robots and artificial intelligence (AI). A prime example is LG Electronics Inc. presenting its future business direction by placing a robot as the conductor of a connected AI home.
At the “LG AI Orchestra” in the center of the exhibition hall, the home robot “Q9” (Cloid) appeared as a conductor, with connected home appliances operating in sync. Rather than leaving all tasks to a single robot, the approach centers on connecting home appliances, sensors, and services through ThinQ ON and ThinQ, while placing Q9 as a hub connecting users and the home.
“The definition of home appliances is moving beyond simply reducing housework toward securing productivity to the extent that robots can do a full-person share of work in specific areas such as laundry or cleaning without human intervention,” an industry insider said. “The various approaches to home appliances and robots revealed at IFA 2026 will take concrete shape in the future through key market application cases.”
