At Innovobot, the year always starts off with a bang: CES.
With its 141,000+ attendees and more than 4,500+ exhibitors, the annual consumer tech trade show is one of the most important showcases of technological advances in the realms of connected hardware, applied AI, robotics, human-machine interface, automotive, gaming, medtech/healthtech, and more.
The event is a must-attend for everyone building hardware to be commercially deployed at scale.
2025 was also Innovobot’s largest on-site presence to date. After weeks of work behind the scenes to set up meetings, organize networking events and fine tune our demos, the team travelled to Las Vegas with a clear set of objectives:
- Meet existing partners and demoing the products we developed together
- Present original demos to prospective clients and partners
- Identify and connect with new partners and clients
- Strengthen ties with the members of the Quebec delegation and Canada Pavilion
- Monitor the latest industry trends and identify areas of opportunities
Now that the dust has settled, we have reflected on another exciting edition of CES and compiled our key takeaways.
AI everywhere
From the moment the doors opened until the last person left, one word was on everyone’s mind: AI.
What used to be a standalone category is now an integral part of every other.
While GenAI has now firmly arrived (Accenture reported bookings of $3 billion USD in 2024 alone) and physical AI robots still some ways away, Jensen Huang’s opening keynote presented us the next big step in AI development: Agentic AI, namely AI that is autonomous and able to make its own decisions, take actions, and even learn on its own.
‘’What we’re seeing is AI being used effectively as a catalyst,’ says Michel Dubois, Innovobot’s Head of AI Lab. ‘’It’s being deployed to accompany, accelerate and enhance, and not to replace valuable human expertise. What Julie Sweet talks about (Chair and CEO of Accenture), namely internal deployment and use of the company’s own data to improve efficiency and solve unique challenges, we’re also seeing in our conversations with clients. In particular, one manufacturer in the aviation space is referring to their AI use case as ‘’accelerated engineering.’’
Another big splash at CES was the announcement of Cosmos AI, a world foundation model by Nvidia designed to map out and understand the physical world and replicate that digitally, with the aim to accelerate training and testing of robotics, autonomous vehicle, in industrial settings and countless other applications.
The second biggest CES keynote was certainly Ed Bastian’s, the CEO of Delta Airline. Held at the Sphere, it laid out the airline’s vision for the future of travel while also highlighting the company’s centenary (and setting the stage for a Lenny Kravitz concert). Bastian talked about how they are transforming the in-flight passenger experience, with AI, Bluetooth tech and seatback screens/entertainment systems.
Another trend that caught our eye was the use of AI within agriculture. AgTech is also something we are exploring at Innovobot, in particular when it comes to controlled-environment agriculture, autonomous farming practices or so-called smart farming and precision farming.
One thing is for sure: AI is now being integrated by design into all facets of product development, hardware or software, from A to Z. The synergies between our Labs have never been greater and will continue to be accentuated.
The changing face of robotics
For our Head of the Robotics Lab, Pedro Gregorio, CES 2025 wasn’t his first rodeo.
‘’The energy is unparalleled here, even if it can get a little overwhelming to navigate this sea of booths. It can be tough to parse the wheat from the chaff, in terms of business relevance, so preparing upstream is key to make sure you use your time efficiently.’’
In the areas of robotics, Pedro observed several different trends happening in parallel.
‘’No surprise here but in general, robots just keep getting better. They’re getting smaller, more precise, more autonomous and efficient, and they just keep integrating more and more other technologies like for instance AI, haptic feedback or sensing technologies, as well as different alternative materials.’’
A session titled ‘’Challenges in Leveraging Robotics in Corporations’’ offered insights into the state of industry adoption.
- Success for robotics implementation depends on “understanding the pain point, knowing the internal customer, and ensuring the right solution fit by having quality deal flow (i.e. being able to scan broadly and pinpoint the right startup for the job.” Shared by Haruhiko Casey Ohya, VP of Venture Scouting at Yazaki Innovations, Inc.
- He also shared these tidbits when it comes to investing in robotics: “We invest at an early stage, seed up until series A. We like to validate potential investments along 3 main axes.”
- How big can it be (TAM), how much will it cost to get product out, and how fast can you scale.
- Defensibility. Meaning, can it be replicated easily, or can someone else commodify?
- Third, strength of team. Does the founder have a “reality distortion field?” Because robotics is hardware, so the bar on required capital is higher than for pure software companies”.
- When deploying robotics, especially in manufacturing, you don’t get many shots on goal. You have to understand the pain points in and out. Also, do other companies out there have the same pain points, meaning… is there a wider market for the solution you’re building?
- You need strength in your cap table because HW is more expensive. Process related stuff has the challenge of interrupting production, so can you get it right first shot? Also, copy-paste is fragmented because the production manager is king at each facility.
- In industry, you have a lot of “phob-AI”. People are afraid of technology.
The evening also featured a pitch competition where 4 out of the 5 startups were Canadian. Those included MovWize, an advanced robotics software solution out of Montreal, led by Jennifer Kwiatkowski and Vincent Methot. Exonetik, a Sherbrooke-based manufacturer magnetorheological actuators, eventually won the audience’s vote.
‘’Two things I’ve noticed this year’ says Pedro. ‘’One, a noticeable increase in the number of female founders and leaders of robotics companies, which is a much welcome change from years past. The second is the super strong presence of Canadian companies. Honestly, Canadian robotics companies are punching above their weight and making us proud.’’
Below, pictures from some of the Canadian companies present at CES. Cobionix Corporation and their robot Codi, which addresses healthcare labor shortages with advanced Ai and sensory perception features. Second, XoMotion, a Canadian exoskeleton manufacturer, whose solution helps rehabilitation therapists get folks back on their feet.
Quebec and Canada very well represented
This year again, Innovobot was official members of the Quebec trade mission. Led by Minister Christopher Skeete, it was organized by Investissement Quebec International in collaboration with the Québec Government Office in Los Angeles.
The delegation counted more than 60 representatives from 35 companies, including:
- TotumTech: Ai-powered smart clothing that empowers people with invisible disabilities, and one of the winners of Innovobot’s Demo Day in 2024. They were also selected as 1 of 10 startups globally for the Innovation for All program of #CES2025, the only startup from Canada among the chosen. Also, winner of Planète Techno’s Best of #CES2025 Award.
- Haply Robotics: haptic feedback with highly natural and functional interaction with the digital world (VR or on-screen). (Haply’s upcoming MinVerse product has been named ‘Best of Innovation’ in the CES® 2025 Innovation Awards in the Metaverse category and an ‘Honoree’ in the XR Technologies & Accessories category.)
- Vosker: Victoriaville company specialized in solar-powered, connected security cameras.
- AWL Électricity: Developed a revolutionary method to move electricity wirelessly.
- Eli Health: Developed an At-home female hormonal test kit using only saliva.
“The strong presence of the Quebec and Canadian delegation at CES highlights the strength of our local ecosystem in driving global innovation. We were honored to be part of this trade mission, representing Quebec’s leadership in advanced technologies. So many delegation members enthusiastically engaged with Innovobot, attended our networking event in great numbers, and we are discussing new collaborations and partnerships. This collective energy and shared vision for supporting our innovation ecosystem and tackling global markets together is thrilling!” – Isabelle Petibon, Director of Marketing at Innovobot.
Beyond the startups, key ecosystem players like Garage & Co were well represented to lead discussions around the topic of hard tech development and commercialization.
Spotlight on partnerships
Partnerships are at the core Innovobot’s philosophy and business model. CES represents the perfect stage to showcase the fruit of those collaborations.
- One of our partners, a large player in the consumer electronics space, presented a device at CES Unveiled (the pre-CES media only event) that was hugely successful and garnered tons of press. Stay tuned for more! The product will be shipping at the end of Q2, and the company’s website already shows the product as out of stock.
- TDK: Presented at their booth a next generation reference design for automotive displays, which we co-developed along with BOE Varitronix and Microchip Technology.
- Our partners at Peratech, a UK-based force-sensing HMI/MMI solutions company, were in our suite to present their demos and other joint projects to potential customers, partners and media.
- Our Austrian friends from XeelTech, with their best-in-class rotary and linear haptic solutions, and STIWA, with its world class expertise in manufacturing and a portfolio of innovative solutions like SMALOX, were also in our demo suite, presenting their products to some of the bigger names in tech and industry.
- We co-hosted a side event, attended by over 120 people, with our partner Voler Systems, experts in embedded systems, IoT, wearables and medtech. Together, we are working on a cutting-edge MedTech product with a prestigious research institution, currently advancing toward clinical trials. The event drew a diverse, global audience, from startups to multinationals, across industries like Automotive, MedTech and Consumer Electronics, with participants from Europe, Asia, North and South America. It was standing-room only, with people in the hallway, eager to stay. The crowd included innovators, engineers, founders, investors and incubators, making for an exciting, high-energy atmosphere.
- We met with our partner Grewus, a Germany-based acoustic signal solutions firm and actuator manufacturer, to talk about our next collaborations.
