Chinese innovations show how to make home comforts smarter at CES

LAS VEGAS -- Imagine returning home after a long day to be greeted by a robotic dog wagging its tail while in the backyard, an automated mower quietly maintains your perfect lawn. Settling into a patio chair, you reach for a cold drink from a solar-powered portable fridge that produces crystal-clear ice.

It is not a scene from a futuristic movie - it is already a reality in a showcase home in Las Vegas, presented at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 by innovative Chinese startups. Their smart technology solutions aspire to make everyday life more comfortable, convenient and efficient.

Among their most captivating products is Sirius, an intelligent robotic dog developed by Hengbot Innovation Limited, a startup company based in Shenzhen. Unlike traditional smart home devices, Sirius introduces a new dimension of interactivity and emotional connection to home automation.

Upon hearing its name, Sirius naturally engages with people-sitting, jumping, or even dancing. According to Kang Xiaohu, co-founder and CFO of Hengbot, the robot can replicate approximately 80 percent of a real dog's movements.

"We've designed Sirius to be a warm and intelligent companion for modern homes," Kang explained. "But Sirius isn't just about fun and games - it's also a sophisticated piece of engineering that can serve as a development platform for tech enthusiasts to expand its capabilities through open-source interfaces."

The robotic companion can also function as a central control hub for other smart home devices, responding to voice commands and coordinating various home systems - effectively working as a four-legged command center for the entire house.

With its advanced visual modules and sensing capabilities, Kang added that Sirius can be developed to act as a mobile security guard when no one is home, providing real-time monitoring and emergency alerts.

Meanwhile, the autonomous mulching mower developed by Airseekers, another Shenzhen robotics company, quietly works as a true backyard helper.

Its distinctive aerodynamic grass-cutting chamber produces finer clippings while preventing both lawn clumping and chamber buildup, areas where traditional mowers often fail.

"We've incorporated a 360-degree visual perception system with five cameras for comprehensive environmental awareness," explained Zhou Cong, Airseekers' co-founder and president.

"This isn't just another garden tool - it's a sophisticated robotic product of home automation, incorporating everything from mechanical engineering to artificial intelligence and cloud services," he said.

Complementing the smart home ecosystem on display is an innovative portable fridge from Bluetti Power, a Shenzhen-based startup specializing in portable power stations.

This freezer-refrigerator uses an advanced lithium iron phosphate battery, which has five times the lifespan of a traditional lithium-ion battery and can operate for three days on a single charge.

Those making it unique and versatile include producing "crystal-clear ice using running water."

"It's running and freezing simultaneously, which is why the ice comes out so pristine," said Illia Zahnitko, Bluetti's marketing manager. The smart unit also boasts a water conservation system that recycles melted ice, one-touch self-cleaning functionality, and app-based remote operation and monitoring.

"We've designed this unit with both functionality and sustainability in mind," Zahnitko said. "With its solar charging capability and hot-swappable batteries, it offers more flexibility for modern homes."

At the showcase home, visitors can explore a wide range of products, from wellness devices to home appliances, all brought by Chinese companies to the four-day CES event starting Tuesday.

These companies are increasingly focused on developing smart home solutions for global markets. "Many households are upgrading to smart systems, with numerous products gradually incorporating intelligent control," said Zhou when discussing the growing trend in smart home products.

In the area of home robots, Zhou noted the development of robot vacuum cleaners, robotic pool cleaners and roofing robots. "The foundation comes from the wave of robotics technology and talent pool in China," he said.