Samsung robotics chief heads to CES 2027 as Korean reports float a humanoid debut (Nov. 6)

Phil Harpster

23 hours ago

4 min read

A white humanoid robot with mechanical hands plays two small keyboards on a table as CES attendees walk past — A humanoid robot from Emage plays a pair of keyboards at CES 2025 in Las Vegas. Humanoids are again a CES 2027 theme, from Salem's Agility Robotics to Korean reports about Samsung. Photo: Arthur Petron / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Quick Read

Korean outlet EDAILY reported Nov. 5 that Oh Jun-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Future Robotics Promotion Team, is scheduled to attend CES 2027 in Las Vegas.
Industry sources cited by EDAILY and earlier by Seoul Economic Daily say Samsung is preparing a humanoid prototype for the show. When asked in September, Samsung said it could not confirm.
Salem's Agility Robotics is already on the official CES 2027 exhibitor list at booth 10502, with Venetian hospitality suites, for its Digit humanoid.
CES Innovation Awards 2027 honorees are set to be revealed Monday, Nov. 9. A Standard Pass is $149 through Nov. 30, then $349.

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Humanoid robots keep climbing the CES agenda, and this week the spotlight swung back to Samsung. According to EDAILY, Oh Jun-ho, head of Samsung Electronics' Future Robotics Promotion Team, is scheduled to attend CES 2027, which runs Jan. 6-9 in Las Vegas.

Korean industry sources told EDAILY that Samsung is preparing to unveil its own humanoid prototype at the show. That is not a confirmed Samsung announcement. When Seoul Economic Daily asked in September whether Samsung planned to show a humanoid prototype at CES 2027, the company said it could not confirm.

Who Oh Jun-ho is, and what Korean reports say

Oh led the development of Hubo, Korea's first bipedal humanoid, in 2004. He is a KAIST professor emeritus and a founding member of Rainbow Robotics. EDAILY says he joined Samsung as an advisor and head of the Future Robotics Promotion Team last year, and that he attended CES in early 2025 shortly after coming aboard.

EDAILY also reported that Chairman Jay Y. Lee visited the RX Business Promotion Office at Samsung's Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong around Oct. 27 for a briefing and a demo of a precise robotic hand, with CEO Roh Tae-moon and Oh among those present. Samsung owns about 35% of Rainbow Robotics and made it a subsidiary, according to the same report. The reported plan is to prove robots first in manufacturing, then expand toward home and service uses. Roh previously called robotics a key growth engine at a CES press conference, EDAILY said.

Korea JoongAng Daily reported in October, citing JoongAng Ilbo industry sources, that Samsung's RX division was testing a bipedal humanoid aimed at round-the-clock factory and logistics work at the Seoul R&D campus, and that a CES 2027 showcase was under consideration. Again, those are industry-source accounts, not a company confirmation.

Oregon's stake in the humanoid race

While Korean outlets debate what Samsung might show, Salem already has a seat on the floor. In our Oct. 30 count of the official CES exhibitor PDF, Agility Robotics was listed at booth 10502, plus hospitality suites at the Venetian's Palazzo tower, for Digit, its humanoid warehouse robot.

Realbotix is returning too, at North Hall booth 12734, according to its Oct. 20 announcement. Humanoids and robot dexterity have been a recurring CES 2027 theme in preview coverage, which is why a possible Samsung debut, even if still unconfirmed, lands on the same map as Oregon's biggest robotics name.

The Las Vegas Strip lit up at night, seen from above — The Las Vegas Strip at night. Photo: Clément Bardot / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Plan your trip to CES 2027

CES 2027 runs Jan. 6-9, 2027, in Las Vegas. This search is set for Jan. 5-9 check-in and checkout. Hotels near the show fill up early.

Find Las Vegas hotels on Expedia

What else to watch before January

CES Innovation Awards 2027 honorees are scheduled to be revealed Monday, Nov. 9, according to CTA's awards timeline. Some products stay under embargo until Jan. 4.

If you are planning to go, CES registration lists a Standard Pass at $149 through Nov. 30, then $349 from Dec. 1 through Jan. 9. Lenovo's Tech World event is set for Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. PT at Sphere for credentialed attendees, a side stage we have covered lightly before.

Gear for a long show day

CES floors are hard on batteries and backs. An Anker 10,000mAh 30W USB-C power bank fits a jacket pocket for topping up a phone between halls. A foldable aluminum laptop stand keeps a notebook at a better angle for notes in a hotel room or press lounge.

For a hands-on primer on the kind of sensing and motion talk that fills robot booths, Learn Robotics with Raspberry Pi walks through building and coding a small moving robot.