Robots take over major home-appliance fair as Samsung and LG face growing Chinese competition

Humanoid robots will walk a runway in Berlin this week as the world’s home-appliance industry pushes artificial intelligence beyond individual products and into connected homes, robotics and other technologies.

IFA 2026 will run from Sept. 4 to 8 in the German capital, bringing together more than 1,900 companies and organizations from 49 countries. Organizers have placed robotics among the event’s main attractions, including a “Robot on the Runway” demonstration focused on motion-control technology. The IFA Next future-technology hall will feature Unitree, Agibot, Deep Robotics and Dobot in what organizers describe as the largest humanoid-robot display in the fair’s history.

Chinese companies are also expanding their presence. The number of registered Chinese exhibitors has reached 932, about 200 more than last year. TCL and Hisense plan to present AI and smart-home systems that connect appliances with living spaces. Xiaomi, attending for the first time, is expected to display robots, electric vehicles, AI-equipped smart glasses and foldable phones. Roborock, Ecovacs and Dreame will introduce new robot vacuum cleaners.

Samsung and LG are presenting different approaches as they compete for European customers. Samsung will establish a separate exhibition space at Humboldt Carré in central Berlin rather than relying solely on its traditional Messe Berlin venue. It plans product launches and business programs for retailers, business customers and media, while also sponsoring creators at Messe Berlin.

LG will operate a large exhibition hall at Messe Berlin under the theme “Innovation in Tune With You.” It plans to present an AI home vision based on what it calls empathetic intelligence, linking appliances, services and energy management. The company will also show household appliances tailored to European living environments, including washing and drying machines and dishwashers.