Robotics is entering a new phase where intelligence is moving out of the cloud and into real world machines. At CES 2026 Nvidia unveiled a broad set of robot focused AI models simulation tools and edge hardware that together point to a clear goal. The company wants to become the base platform for generalist robotics in the same way Android became the foundation for smartphones.
This push reflects a wider industry shift as robots begin to learn reason and act in physical environments. Falling sensor costs stronger simulation tools and more capable AI models are making it possible for machines to generalize across tasks instead of being locked into single functions. Nvidia said its new physical AI ecosystem is designed to support this change from narrow purpose robots to adaptable systems that can work across industries.
At the center of the stack are new open foundation models released on Hugging Face. These include Cosmos Transfer 2.5 and Cosmos Predict 2.5 which are world models used for synthetic data generation and policy testing in simulation. Cosmos Reason 2 is a vision language model that lets AI systems see understand and act in the physical world. Nvidia also introduced Isaac GR00T N1.6 a vision language action model built for humanoid robots. GR00T uses Cosmos Reason as its brain and enables whole body control so humanoids can move and manipulate objects at the same time.
To support safe and faster development Nvidia launched Isaac Lab Arena an open source simulation framework hosted on GitHub. It brings together training tools task scenarios and benchmarks like Libero RoboCasa and RoboTwin to address the lack of shared standards in robotics testing. Nvidia OSMO acts as an open source command center connecting data generation training and deployment across desktop and cloud setups. On the hardware side the new Blackwell powered Jetson T4000 from the Thor family delivers 1200 teraflops of AI compute with 64 gigabytes of memory while running at 40 to 70 watts. Nvidia is also expanding its partnership with Hugging Face by integrating Isaac and GR00T into the LeRobot framework and enabling the open source Reachy 2 humanoid to run on Jetson Thor. Early adoption suggests momentum is building with robotics now the fastest growing category on Hugging Face and companies like Boston Dynamics Caterpillar Franka Robots and NEURA Robotics already using Nvidia’s technology.
Also read: Viksit Workforce for a Viksit Bharat
Do Follow: The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News LinkedIn Account | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Facebook | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Youtube | The Mainstream formerly known as CIO News Twitter
About us:
The Mainstream is a premier platform delivering the latest updates and informed perspectives across the technology business and cyber landscape. Built on research-driven, thought leadership and original intellectual property, The Mainstream also curates summits & conferences that convene decision makers to explore how technology reshapes industries and leadership. With a growing presence in India and globally across the Middle East, Africa, ASEAN, the USA, the UK and Australia, The Mainstream carries a vision to bring the latest happenings and insights to 8.2 billion people and to place technology at the centre of conversation for leaders navigating the future.
