LG teases two‑armed home robot ahead of CES, hinting at consumer robotics push

What happened and why it matters

LG has quietly teased a new home robot with two fully articulated arms and five-fingered hands, setting up a bigger reveal at CES 2026 (January 6–9). Called “LG CLOiD,” the bot is billed as a home assistant designed to tackle a “wide range” of indoor chores. Early materials highlight arms with seven degrees of freedom each and a head unit that houses a chipset, display, speaker, camera and sensors for navigation, voice interaction and “expressive communication.” In short: this is not another puck or rolling camera—it’s a robot that’s meant to grasp and manipulate everyday objects. LG Newsroom; The Verge.

LG is keeping most of CLOiD’s design under wraps until the show; so far we’ve only seen close-ups of its dexterous hands (The Verge notes one appears to be grabbing a towel). That makes the arms the headline feature—and the most interesting signal. Two hands, done well, are the gateway to genuinely useful home tasks. The Verge.

From “AI agent” to actual manipulation

If CLOiD looks like a big leap from LG’s earlier home robot experiments, it is. At CES 2024 the company showed a wheeled “AI agent” that roamed the house, chatted and monitored pets—charming, but handless. CLOiD adds the missing ingredient: manipulation. LG (CES 2024); The Verge, 2023 preview.

Under the hood, CLOiD is framed as an embodiment of LG’s “Affectionate Intelligence”—the company’s push to make AI feel more empathetic and context-aware across devices. LG’s 2025 World Premiere keynote outlined this concept and the idea of capable “AI agents” coordinating your space. CLOiD appears to be that idea with hands. LG (Affectionate Intelligence, Jan 6, 2025); LG USA recap.

A credible consumer robotics push—not a one‑off demo

This teaser isn’t happening in a vacuum. Over the last 18 months LG has:

• Acquired Dutch smart home platform Athom (maker of Homey) to boost device interoperability and automations that span third‑party gadgets, not just LG appliances. LG Newsroom; TechCrunch.
• Established an HS Robotics Lab inside its Home Appliance Solution Company, signaling that household robotics is part of the core appliance roadmap—not only a startup-style skunkworks. LG Corp media release.
• Shipped multiple B2B robots under the CLOi brand (e.g., ServeBot for hospitality/healthcare, CarryBot for warehouses), building navigation, safety and fleet know‑how that can transfer to consumer form factors. LG Newsroom (ServeBot); LG Business (CarryBot).

Taken together, the teaser feels less like a science‑fair cameo and more like a product vector. What’s still missing are the practicals: price, ship window, battery life, safety certifications and the exact task repertoire.

The competitive context: hands vs. helpers

The broader smart‑home market is flirting with mobile robots, but most lack manipulators. Samsung’s personable Ballie remains a rolling assistant—with a projector and promised Google Gemini integration—but its consumer launch has slipped past the summer 2025 window and is now officially delayed again. Samsung x Google Cloud; TechRadar update; SamMobile.

Amazon’s Astro—another screen‑on‑wheels—has stayed in limited consumer availability while the company sunset its short‑lived Astro for Business in 2024 to refocus on the home version. It’s a reminder of how hard consumer robotics can be. Reuters; Ars Technica; Amazon.

Where CLOiD fits among consumer‑facing home robots

Sources: LG Newsroom; The Verge; Samsung + Google Cloud; TechRadar; Ars Technica; Amazon.

What to watch for at CES

• Practical demos: What specific tasks will LG show—towel folding, handling dishes, operating appliance doors? The teaser avoids explicit claims; the live demo will tell us if CLOiD’s hands have the right combination of force control and safety for unstructured homes. Engadget.
• Safety and reliability: Does LG cite any consumer‑environment safety frameworks (e.g., variants of UL 3300 used in service robots) and what guardrails exist for human/pet interaction? LG’s B2B bots have earned design awards and operate around people, but homes introduce kids, clutter and chaos. LG Business (ServeBot).
• Ecosystem integration: Given LG’s Athom acquisition, can CLOiD natively orchestrate third‑party devices—lights, window shades, vacuums—while also using its own hands when required? LG Newsroom – Athom.
• Service model: Will this be sold, subscribed (like some appliance programs), or offered as a pilot with installation, training and maintenance bundled? Competitors have explored subscriptions for advanced smart home products. The Verge on Samsung subscriptions.

Bottom line

CLOiD is the clearest sign yet that a major home‑appliance brand wants to put dexterous manipulation into the consumer smart home. It’s still a tease—no price, no ship date, no full body shots—but the ingredients (two arms, five-fingered hands, sensor‑rich head, and LG’s broader platform bets) are exactly what a useful home robot needs. Whether 2026 is the year such a bot becomes real at home, rather than just onstage, is the big CES question.

Sources

• LG Newsroom: “LG to Unveil Home Robot at CES 2026, Sharing Vision for the ‘Zero Labor Home’” (Dec 25, 2025). Link
• The Verge: “LG teases a new chore‑completing home robot” (Dec 26, 2025). Link
• Engadget: “LG will show off a humanoid robot for household chores at CES 2026” (Dec 2025). Link
• LG (Jan 6, 2025): “Affectionate Intelligence” keynote recap. Link
• LG acquires Athom (Homey) to expand open smart home ecosystem (July 3, 2024). Link
• Samsung and Google Cloud announce Gemini for Ballie (Apr 9, 2025). Link
• TechRadar: Ballie delayed again (Dec 2025). Link
• SamMobile: Ballie not launching in 2025 (Dec 2025). Link
• Reuters: Amazon to wind down Astro for Business (July 3, 2024). Link
• Amazon: “Meet Astro” (consumer version) page (updated 2025). Link