According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), an industry association, there were around 4.7m industrial robots operational worldwide as of 2024—just 177 for every 10,000 manufacturing workers.

Factory robots will soon be tackling complex, dynamic and dexterous tasks previously unattainable with traditional automation.

CES 2026 --As robots move from novelty to necessity across factories, warehouses, hospitals, and public spaces, CES 2026 is making one thing clear: visual perception will define the future of robotics.

Robotics research and spin-off companies has been a constant in Pittsburgh, but getting the companies to grow locally has been a challenge. With new companies and funding, the current could be picking up.

There is no question that 2026 is already set up to be something of a continuance of 2025, at least in the sense of moving deeper into the world of AI, automation, and robotics. As companies deploy AI at scale and industrial robots continue to replace human labor slowly,

Boston Dynamics is an undisputed frontrunner in the race to develop humanoid robots —and now, its Atlas robot is getting to work at Hyundai. A corner of the parts warehouse at Hyundai’s Georgia factory is home to on-the-job training for Atlas.