Korean Appliance Firms Expand into Robotics as Growth Engine at CES 2026

At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, robotics is emerging as a new growth engine for Korea’s appliance and rental firms, which are expanding their business scopes to include robotics rental and services.

Cuckoo Homesys, listed as 284740, plans to seek approval at its regular shareholders’ meeting on Jan. 26 to add “robot solutions for franchises and the foodservice industry” and “sales, distribution, installation and maintenance services for automated cooking robots” to its corporate objectives. The company notes the move is intended to facilitate expansion into new markets. It already added robot manufacturing and sales to its objectives for serving robots last year.

Coway, ticker 021240, disclosed it will discuss adding “robot manufacturing, sales, rental and service” as well as lines for orthopedic and body-correction devices and pet-care devices at its March general meeting. The company has signaled a broader robotics strategy alongside its core appliance business.

SK Intellitechs, part of SK Group, has been positioning itself as a wellness robotics platform. The firm launched the wellness robotics brand Namux in April last year and released an autonomous, voice-controlled wellness robot in October last year, signaling a shift toward AI-driven wellness services.

This year, SK Intellix plans to expand its wellness services further with artificial intelligence across areas such as security, beauty, meditation, pet care and sleep care. The move reflects a wider trend of applying AI to consumer and care-focused robots.

Analysts say these corporate moves reflect a broader industry strategy: using established field service networks and subscription-style offerings to enter and scale robotics, especially as traditional rental growth slows. The robotics-as-a-service model is expanding beyond manufacturing and logistics to consumer and service sectors.

Market research projects the robotics-as-a-service market to grow about 15% annually from this year through 2033, driven in part by the emergence of low-cost robots—many from Chinese manufacturers under roughly $1,600—destined for home and service use, coupled with ongoing maintenance and upgrade commitments.

For U.S. readers, these developments signal increasing global competition and collaboration in robotics and automation. Korea’s appliance firms are leveraging mature distribution and after-sales networks to push affordable, AI-enabled robots, which could affect supply chains, trade in hardware and services, and potential American partnerships or competition in the rapidly expanding robotics market. CES 2026 underscores the international emphasis on robotics as a core growth area for both consumer electronics and industrial applications.