Gadronics SwitchBot’s CES 2026 reveal feels like a mix of excitement and cautious curiosity. The company pushed a clear idea of homes that sense, think, and act through embodied AI, carefully positioning itself as not just a smart gadget manufacturer.
Simply put, there’s a new unified ecosystem where robots, locks, and pocket AI work together, which feels bold and, frankly, a bit cheeky for a company once known for tiny, single‑task devices.
The onero H1 grabbed our attention in particular. The humanoid-esque robot offers 22 degrees of freedom, an on‑device OmniSense VLA model, and tactile feedback so it can grasp, push, open, and organise with more confidence than earlier helpers.
It learns as it goes, which means that chores that used to stump automation might finally get sorted. However, it’s still not sentient.
On the other hand, the Lock Vision Series stands out with its biometric ambitions. It uses 3D structured‑light facial recognition with over 2,000 infrared points for millimetre accuracy, plus liveness checks and local data storage, and the Pro model adds palm‑vein recognition for wet or grubby hands.
Then, there’s the AI MindClip. It honestly feels like a pocket second brain. Weighing 18 grams, it records conversations, makes summaries, and builds a searchable knowledge base across 100+ languages, which could be a lifesaver for busy people, though subscription and privacy details will matter to many.
Other products included a 7.5‑inch E‑Ink Weather Station with AI briefings, and OBBOTO, a 2,900+ LED pixel globe for mood lighting and music visualisation.
While we were left impressed by the coherence of SwitchBot’s vision, we are still slightly wary about real‑world reliability, cost, and privacy.
The company has moved beyond single‑task gizmos toward an ecosystem that perceives and acts, which seems useful, even necessary, as homes get smarter and our patience wears thin. It’s a bold claim for sure, but does reality match it? Time will tell, and we’re keen to see hands-on tests.
Would you welcome a household robot, or does the idea make you uneasy about privacy and complexity?
