CES 2026 LG AI home robot CLOiD to undergo real-world testing next year

LG Electronics CEO Lyu Jae-cheol speaks during a press conference in Las Vegas, Wednesday (local time). Yonhap

LAS VEGAS — LG Electronics plans to conduct a feasibility demonstration of its newly unveiled artificial intelligence home robot next year rather than rushing to set a commercialization timeline, CEO Lyu Jae-cheol said Wednesday (local time).

However, he added that the timeline could be brought forward from the company’s existing road map depending on the results of the test, citing the rapid pace of advances in robotic technology.

The Korean tech giant unveiled LG CLOiD at the world’s largest electronics trade show, which kicked off Tuesday, aiming for a “zero labor home” where smart appliances free people from household chores and allow them to focus on higher-value activities.

Lyu said LG CLOiD will perform not only physical tasks but also ease mental burdens, such as deciding what to cook for dinner.

In that context, questions have been growing over when the robot will enter service.

“Rather than discussing a concrete commercialization timeline at this stage, we plan to move the robot out of the laboratory and into real-world settings around next year,” Lyu said on the sidelines of CES 2026, in his first press conference since taking office in November last year.

“A feasibility demonstration is scheduled for roughly the same period, and the exact launch date will be determined based on the results of that demonstration.”

This year’s CES has drawn attention for the wide range of robots on display, and Lyu believes these robotics efforts could help his company accelerate its timeline.

“At CES, I was impressed by how quickly some robotic technologies are advancing, suggesting that commercialization could come sooner than expected,” he said.

“While a feasibility demonstration of LG CLOiD is scheduled for next year, progress in certain robot segments is moving faster than anticipated, which could accelerate the overall schedule and open up bigger opportunities.”

Despite its much-touted debut, CLOiD has been compared unfavorably in terms of speed to robots made by Chinese companies also on display at CES.

Lyu said the robot requires continued learning.

“It is true that CLOiD is currently much slower than we aim for, but safety and reliability take priority since the robot must operate in real homes. Speed will improve primarily through large-scale training, which is still ongoing,” he said.

“We expect CLOiD to reach near-human levels of performance within a few months. Once this is achieved, speed will no longer be an issue. We are eager to demonstrate the rapidly evolving capabilities of CLOiD.”