From Talking AI to Moving AI: Korea, China and Europe Clash in Physical AI at IFA Berlin 2026

[Financial News] As artificial intelligence evolves beyond simply answering questions and begins to perceive the physical world and move on its own, competition in the global home appliance and robotics industries is intensifying. At IFA Berlin 2026, Europe’s largest consumer electronics show, which opens on the 4th in Berlin, Germany, companies from Korea, China and Europe will compete in physical AI technology and ecosystem development, drawing on their strengths in manufacturing, home appliances and robotics.
According to industry sources on the 30th, IFA Berlin 2026 will showcase not only AI home appliances but also robot technologies that interact with people in real-world environments. LG Electronics, which will have the largest exhibition presence among Korean companies this year, is expected to display its home robot, LG CLOiD, first unveiled at CES 2026, the world’s largest consumer electronics and IT trade show held in Las Vegas in January.
LG CLOiD is a home robot that can handle household chores and serve as an AI assistant by learning the home environment and the user’s daily patterns to control appliances. However, LG Electronics plans to present robot technology alongside its AI appliances and home solutions rather than putting CLOiD itself at the center of the display.
The company aims to show an AI home optimized for the European market, where living conditions and consumer habits differ from those in North America, while also highlighting the direction AI is taking as it expands from home appliances into the physical world.
Global competition in physical AI is expected to stand out even more at this year’s IFA. In particular, robot companies from China, where humanoid robots are rapidly gaining influence, and from Europe, a traditional powerhouse in manufacturing and engineering, will take center stage. As AI moves beyond the virtual realm and combines with a robotic body, each country’s manufacturing strength is emerging as a new competitive factor in the AI era.
From China, robot companies such as Unitree Robotics, Agibot, X Square, Deep Robotics and Dobot will take part. China, which has quickly expanded its influence in the home appliance market, is also strengthening its presence in robotics. On the 5th, the second day of the exhibition, IFA’s "Robots on the Runway" event will feature humanoid robots from these companies walking the runway to demonstrate their movement and technological capabilities. Chinese companies are rapidly advancing humanoid technology as they accelerate their push into the global market.
In Europe, Germany’s NEURA Robotics will lead the way. At last year’s IFA, NEURA demonstrated the 4NE1 humanoid robot sorting laundry and the MiPA (My Intelligent Personal Assistant) home robot organizing items. This year, founder and CEO David Reger will deliver a keynote speech on the theme "From Europe, for the World: Building the Ecosystem for Physical AI." NEURA, which is working to build an ecosystem that connects AI, robotics, sensor technology and shared learning infrastructure, recently also secured up to $1.4 billion in investment.
An industry official said, "As the pace of combining AI with real robots accelerates, more companies will showcase physical AI at global exhibition stages like IFA in the future," adding, "Korean companies also have the technology and data accumulated in home appliances and manufacturing, so they will be able to demonstrate competitiveness in the physical AI market."
[email protected] Lim Su-bin Reporter