2026AWE Exploration: Home Appliance AI, Large Models "Farming Lobsters," Robots and Smart Glasses Debut

The China Home Appliances and Consumer Electronics Expo (AWE2026) will be held in Shanghai from March 12 to 15. For the first time, the expo adopts a “dual-zone” model, with the main exhibition area at the Shanghai New International Expo Center and a new zone at the Shanghai Oriental Hub International Business Cooperation Zone. The scale has expanded to 13 pavilions and 170,000 square meters.

According to现场报道 from the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, from multimodal large models to AI agents, from exoskeleton robots to brain-computer interfaces, from AI glasses to smart home appliances, the AWE booth has become the “premiere stage” for smart living in the next 3 to 5 years.

▍On-site Big Model “Shrimp Farming”

The MiniMax area highlights China’s first full-stack general AI agent, MiniMax Agent. Also, built on OpenClaw, the MiniMax cloud AI assistant MaxClaw is a highlight, supporting efficient cross-platform interaction via web and mobile, and collaboration with multiple IM communication apps.

During the expo, visitors can interact with large models and AI products on-site, with staff providing “shrimp farming” tutorials.

In the core ecological experience zone of the booth, MiniMax also showcases dozens of cutting-edge AI terminal products developed with hardware partners, covering scenarios from embodied intelligence, wearable devices, educational companionship, to home office. For example, the MiniMax-driven Vbot Veta Power Robot Dog is the first embodied intelligent agent to enter physical space, capable of autonomous following, navigation, and disassembly tasks without remote control.

SenseTime will showcase a series of AI products for office, education, and home scenarios. The “Office Little Raccoon” is a highlight. This native AI productivity tool can perform data analysis, PPT generation, and document editing through natural conversation.

Meanwhile, SenseTime and OpenClaw jointly introduce a “Capability Open” and “Integrated Delivery” dual-path solution: encapsulating core capabilities like data processing and document understanding into Raccoon Skills, integrated into the OpenClaw AI agent ecosystem for quick application; and collaborating with Qujing Technology to create a “local deployment + cloud extension” scheme, with OpenClaw as the task planning and execution layer, forming a complete closed loop from capability access to enterprise-level delivery. This solution is especially suitable for scenarios with high requirements for data security, privatization, and compliance, providing a deployable, maintainable, and upgradeable solution for enterprises.

▍Robots Showcase

Robots are also a highlight at this AWE. In the “Consumer Electronics Advanced Technology Zone” at the Oriental Hub, a dedicated humanoid robot exhibition area will feature companies like Yushu Technology, Magic Atom, and Zhiyuan Robotics. Tesla’s humanoid robot Tesla Bot will also participate.

Aoshark Intelligence will showcase industrial and consumer exoskeleton matrices, including the FIT series and PES series.

The FIT series uses electric assist drive. The FIT-HV PRO waist exoskeleton is mainly used for heavy lifting, high-frequency bending, and transfer tasks, providing 15 to 30 kg of assistance, offsetting over 60% of waist load. The FIT-U PRO upper limb exoskeleton is suitable for overhead work and lifting, offering 10 to 20 kg of assistance per arm, reducing over 50% of labor burden.

The PES series uses mechanical energy storage drive. The PES-B waist exoskeleton is suitable for long-duration load-bearing and frequent bending; the PES-U upper limb exoskeleton is designed for shoulder and arm lifting tasks.

Aoshark also presents the VIATRIX range extender powered exoskeleton robot, designed for outdoor scenarios. Its innovative Float360 floating hip joint architecture can handle rugged trails and steep slopes across all terrains.

QiangNao Technology will showcase non-invasive brain-computer interface technology that addresses the core challenge of “machines understanding human intent,” offering products like rehabilitation aids, embodied intelligence devices, and neural modulation systems. BrainCo’s intelligent bionic hand detects nerve and muscle signals for dexterous control, helping disabled individuals regain independence; the Revo 2 bionic hand weighs only 383 grams, with 0.1mm sub-millimeter precision, 5 kg grip force, and 20 kg load capacity, equipped with multimodal tactile sensors for fine control in robots like Leju and Zhiji Power.

▍Smart Glasses “See” the Future

At this AWE, companies like Qianwen, XREAL, Thunderbird Innovation, Xiaodu, and Rokid will showcase smart glasses products.

From XREAL, the flagship XREAL 1S AR glasses can achieve real-time 2D to 3D conversion via edge computing, enabling immersive 3D content without reprocessing.

Additionally, the next-generation smart glasses project Project Aura, developed jointly by XREAL and Google, is expected to launch mid-2026, featuring a 70-degree ultra-wide field of view, smart gesture, and voice interaction. AI is no longer confined to phones or servers; with these glasses, AI gains “eyes” and spatial awareness, capable of perceiving environments, understanding scenes, and interacting with the real world in real time.

Xiaodu debuts a full product lineup including smart speakers, smart screens, “Girlfriend” devices, AI glasses, smart cameras, and whole-home smart systems, along with industry solutions for AI hotels and AI eldercare. The Xiaodu AI Glasses Pro, based on multimodal AI, supports first-person shooting, real-time translation, and meeting notes, with a total battery life of 7.5 hours and up to 68 hours in standby, serving as a portable AI assistant.

Thunderbird Innovation, in partnership with Amap, launches Thunderbird Smart Life during AWE2026. Amap’s “Street Sweeper” ranking is also integrated into AR glasses, with the Thunderbird X3 Pro capable of proactively recommending nearby high-rated stores based on user location and preferences, displaying key info like ratings, average spending, and tags within the field of view, helping users quickly identify options and enabling a decision-making loop of “see, understand, navigate.”

Currently, Thunderbird Smart Life is live on the Thunderbird X3 Pro AR glasses, with plans to expand to other Thunderbird AI glasses models.

▍Home Appliances Moving Toward AI

The next two to three years will be a critical window for full-house smart implementation. Many leading companies are introducing large models and AI agents to promote appliance AI transformation.

According to the Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily, Huawei HarmonyOS Smart Home will showcase an upgraded “1+3+N” solution, with one intelligent main unit serving as the central hub for connection and computation, relying on PLC and high-speed Wi-Fi for stable, reliable connectivity, giving homes a “smart brain.” The upgrade features the X2 Pro, the first smart main unit equipped with flagship mobile phone-grade chips, and the newly released Xiaoyi Butler 6.0 powered by AI large models, capable of understanding colloquial commands and executing instructions. AI hypersensitive sensors detect human presence, enabling automatic lighting and wind avoidance without manual control; AI-assisted health sensors monitor sleep and can detect falls or bed falls, providing timely alerts; air quality sensors automatically identify indoor air quality and optimize conditions.

At this AWE, LG will debut three products in China: OLED evo W6, OLED evo G6, and SIGNATURE OLED T. The SIGNATURE OLED T, the world’s first truly wireless transparent TV, features α11 AI audio/video chips in 4K, supporting intelligent picture and sound optimization, with webOS 24, AI voice recognition, motion detection, and integration with other smart devices, plus personalized content recommendations.

Additionally, Chaoqun Technology will exclusively showcase the entire E7 pavilion, covering 7,378 square meters with 8 independent booths, presenting a full-scene smart ecosystem and future technology layout, from home to travel, personal to outdoor, ground to sky.