Samsung Tests Humanoid Robot for 24-Hour Operation; May Unveil It at CES 2027

Samsung Electronics is testing a humanoid robot designed to operate 24 hours a day in factories and logistics settings, leaderobot.com reported on October 20, 2026. Development is being led by its robotics division, Robotics eXperience (RX), which is conducting tests at the Seoul R&D Campus in Umyeon-dong, Seocho-gu, south of Seoul, the report said. It also said the robot is one of the candidates for an unveiling at CES 2027.

Testing for 24-hour operation in manufacturing and logistics indicates that humanoid robots are being evaluated as machines for use on the job, rather than as demonstration units. Samsung Electronics’ use of its RX division and R&D campus to conduct supervised tests suggests it is prioritizing reliability assessments needed for real-world operation. With the robot reportedly among the candidates for an unveiling at CES 2027, the product pitch could shift from “can it walk?” to “can it operate for long periods?” In factories and logistics operations, continuous operation and the reliability of repetitive tasks directly affect adoption decisions.

What is new in this report is that Samsung Electronics is testing a humanoid robot with 24-hour operation in manufacturing and logistics in mind, rather than for display purposes. The focus is not on showcasing walking or running, but on whether it can continuously perceive its surroundings and perform repetitive tasks for extended periods. This aligns with the criteria for evaluating humanoid robots as practical machines and suggests that the company is emphasizing operational durability at the early stage of its market entry. In a related article, The Robot Report covers humanoid work in factories, we covered an example of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas working in a factory. Samsung’s reported effort is in a similar vein, but differs in that it involves continuous-monitoring tests at an R&D campus rather than a work demonstration already shown publicly. In other words, the competition to bring robots into factories appears to be shifting from “can it move?” to “can it keep running?” From an industry perspective, the issues raised by this report are less about hardware performance itself than about real-world reliability, monitoring arrangements and suitability for repetitive tasks. Because manufacturing and logistics are specifically cited as target applications, the key question is how much of the sequence of movement, transport and work can be automated. Even if an unveiling at CES 2027 goes ahead, operating time and stability are likely to be the focus rather than appearance. Unresolved questions include the specific operating time, onboard sensors, control methods, mass-production plans and which candidate robot might be shown at CES 2027. The report so far confirms the goal of 24-hour operation and the testing location, but does not disclose performance metrics or a deployment timeline.