The AWE with the Most Robots: Embodied Intelligence Expected to Enter Households Within Three Years

At this year’s AWE, which has the most robots ever, home service robots are emerging. In the next three years, embodied intelligence is expected to enter homes, but not necessarily in humanoid robots.

The 2026 AWE (China Appliance and Consumer Electronics Expo), opening on March 12, is the most robot-rich AWE to date. On-site, First Financial reporters observed a variety of home service robots appearing—cooking robots, storage robots, stair-climbing robots… Embodied intelligence is expected to enter homes within three years, but not necessarily in humanoid form.

What is happening even faster is equipping various appliances with AI brains. Companies are embedding more and more AI chips and computing power into air conditioners, TVs, kitchen appliances, and other home electronics. AI-driven lifestyles are approaching rapidly, becoming more accessible to ordinary people.

Robots are expected to enter homes in about three years

At this year’s AWE, Haier launched three types of home robots: companion robots that can detect falls and remind users to take medication; cleaning robots that can clean, organize, and perform targeted cleaning; and household robots that can open and close refrigerator doors, pick up tableware and clothes. Hisense introduced a companion robot, and Ecovacs unveiled a housekeeper robot. Stone showcased stair-climbing vacuum cleaners, and FOTILE displayed a “head chef” robot…

Ecovacs’ new non-humanoid home service butler robot, equipped with wheels and mechanical arms, can pick up toys from the floor, tidy up surfaces, and even put clothes into the washing machine. “It is expected to enter homes within three years,” said Ecovacs Chairman Qian Dongqi. This robot integrates AI large models and intelligent agents. For it to truly enter homes, technology must become more mature, and user willingness to pay must also be considered.

Li Wei, President of Hisense Visual, also told First Financial that embodied intelligence is accelerating into homes. Home service covers multiple scenarios such as clothing, food, housing, transportation, entertainment, health, and companionship. The home service robot industry is at a critical stage of rapid breakthroughs. The intelligent companion robot launched by Hisense has evolved from the “girlfriend machine” form, offering chat companionship, fashion advice, health monitoring, and security patrols, and will develop into an intelligent lifestyle assistant in the future.

Zheng Chun, Chief Strategy Officer of Panasonic Corporation and President of Northeast Asia Business, told First Financial that when discussing embodied intelligence entering homes, people first think of humanoid robots. In fact, some robot technologies are already used in washing machines, though consumers may not realize it. AI and robotics are gradually being widely adopted in home appliances, but humanoid robots still need time to become common in households.

Besides “capabilities,” price is also a major factor limiting the popularization of embodied intelligence at home. First Financial reporters saw a home appliance e-commerce platform showcase a batch of humanoid robots at this AWE, each with a QR code. Some visitors scanned the QR code and saw that one humanoid robot was priced at 69,999 yuan, and told reporters they were just “looking.”

The AI transformation of home appliances is like the “Eight Immortals crossing the sea”—each showcasing their own strengths

Compared to new service robots entering homes, AI integration into appliances is a more practical path to making AI benefits accessible to the public. Over the past decade, smart home appliances have evolved from mobile control to smart speakers and voice control. Now, many are moving toward distributed systems, with air conditioners, TVs, and kitchen appliances equipped with AI brains, becoming central hubs of smart homes.

Gree Electric’s home air conditioning technology director explained that the three major upgrade directions for household air conditioners by 2026 are proactive intelligence, energy efficiency, and comfortable airflow, with AI playing a key role. Gree uses air conditioners as the hub, with built-in home controllers serving as the central unit for the entire house, capable of connecting to all types of appliances, sharing data and computing power, and collaborating via cloud and edge computing to create an autonomous AI brain that enables dynamic energy savings.

“AI + TV” will also bring several changes. Li Wei said: first, TVs can enhance display quality through AI picture processing chips; second, combining AI large models allows TVs to engage in natural language conversations with users; third, integrating AI technology can gradually evolve TVs into companion robots or even central hubs of smart homes.

Another approach is “smart home appliances + AI glasses.” At this AWE, Robam showcased scenarios where AI glasses assist with cooking. After downloading relevant cooking apps onto the AI glasses, users can link them with smart ovens and other kitchen appliances, following prompts on the glasses for more convenient cooking.

Vatti representatives told First Financial that compared to embodied intelligence, their AI applications focus more on enhancing the cooking experience. For example, range hoods use AI sensing and algorithms to predict smoke trajectories and proactively clean. Mars Intelligent also considers that some households have small kitchens, so integrated appliances with AI technology are designed to occupy no more than one square meter.

After parameters become saturated, kitchen appliance products need to rely on intelligent upgrades to promote innovation, gradually evolving from single-product control to full-process intelligence and full-scenario interconnectedness, said Zhao Zhiwei, Vice President of All View Cloud and General Manager of the Kitchen, Bathroom, and Home Division. He noted that the smartization of kitchen appliances still has a gap from ideal expectations and requires ongoing upgrades.

First Financial learned that the China Household Electrical Appliances Association held a home service robot industry development forum during AWE this year and established a dedicated committee for home service robots. Fifty companies related to robotics, including Haier, Hisense, Fourier, and OBIO, became founding members. Research institutions like Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University also participated. Attendees discussed how to cultivate the home service robot industry and promote robot appliance integration and appliance robotization. Industry experts agree that accelerating the development of home robot applications requires industry collaboration to break down barriers and build ecosystems.