CES Robots 2025: China's Fighting Machines Freak Out Tech Journalist

CES robots in 2025 crossed a line tech journalist Andy Baryer never expected. A humanoid robot from China throws a jab. Then a hook. Then an uppercut combination in two seconds flat. Then it does a drop kick and stands there taunting. These aren't cute demos anymore.

Baryer walks the show floor documenting AI-powered robots that detect strangers, chase intruders, and execute fighting moves programmed into open-source platforms. He divides them into Autobots (helpful beer-fetching robot dogs, museum surveillance units) and Decepticons (the ones that made him run when they started chasing him). One humanoid read his name badge and greeted him personally. Another looks like a Kardashian and is marketed as a "companionship robot."

Discover why this is the first CES where a veteran tech journalist felt genuine fear. Learn what open-source fighting robots mean when they fall into the wrong hands. Understand why China is dominating humanoid robotics and what that shift changes about future technology.

Robot Butler Arrives: LG's CLOi Folds Laundry and Loads Dishwashers

Robot butler technology reached the Jetsons level at CES 2025. LG's CLOi grabs clothes, puts them in the laundry, takes them out, and folds them. It unloads dishwashers. It's designed to eliminate every household chore you hate. Andy Baryer calls it the closest we've seen to a zero-work home.

Baryer also examines the Clicks Communicator, a BlackBerry-style Android phone with a physical keyboard created by mobile journalists Mr. Mobile and Crackberry Kevin. Office robots called Oli walk around workplaces. Intel partners with robotics companies to build edge processors that let robots think independently without cloud connections, preventing armies of warehouse robots from getting hacked. Thirty manufacturers displayed robot lawnmowers using satellite navigation and LiDAR to avoid obstacles. Baryer tells every manufacturer they need AI poop detection.

Learn why physical keyboards might return after years of predictive text failures. Understand how edge processing prevents robot hacking. Discover what six-foot healthcare robots with Intel chips do for Alzheimer's and dementia patients.

GUEST: Andy Baryer | @handyandymedia, handyandymedia.com

Originally aired on 2026-01-12