The Data Exchange with Ben Lorica The Humanoid Hype Cycle: Separating “Shiny Objects” from Real Utility
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Jan 10, 2026 Evangelos Simoudis, an entrepreneur and investor in technology strategy, joins to discuss breakthroughs from CES 2026. He highlights the proliferation of humanoid robots, noting their current impracticality despite investor excitement. The conversation shifts to software-defined vehicles and the growing push for autonomous capabilities. They also analyze recent U.S. export control changes on AI chips and China's aggressive response in chip self-sufficiency, raising concerns about tech competition. Simoudis warns about potential risks of open-source models in this evolving landscape.
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Humanoids Dominated CES 2026
- CES 2026 felt like a humanoids conference with over 30 companies, mostly Chinese, showing many tele-operated demos.
- Evangelos Simoudis warns most humanoids remain narrow in capability and far from reliable factory deployment.
The Hand Problem Is The Bottleneck
- Many humanoid robots showcase impressive joint counts but still lack the sensor-rich dexterity of human hands.
- Evangelos emphasizes the hand problem as a central unsolved technical bottleneck for real-world use.
Hyundai Plans Large Humanoid Deployments
- Evangelos recounts Hyundai and others planning large-scale humanoid deployments, including Hyundai's Atlas in a new Georgia factory.
- He warns such automation could curtail expected employment gains from new U.S. auto investments.
