I kicked off CES 2026 the best way I know how: starting in a corner at CES Unveiled and zig-zagging booth to booth, hunting for the stuff that’s actually relevant to smart home people—while pacing myself because it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Unveiled is always a mixed bag (some vaporware, some gems), but this year had a bunch of genuinely interesting upgrades and a lot of fun creator run-ins from all over the world. On the smart home side, Lutron’s new wood slat smart shades were a standout—solid options with HomeKit support and real “this belongs in a nice house” vibes. I also saw a push toward local-first camera recording to NAS with no subscription (which I’m always going to cheer for), plus plenty of weird-but-cool gadgets like smart bird feeders and even a robot setup that can handle stairs. On the robotics front, Roborock teased big news and showed off mopping and chassis upgrades, Narwal had next-gen vacuum improvements, and SwitchBot went full “creepy little guy” with a roaming robot plus an AI “second brain” audio recorder concept. One of the most important takeaways wasn’t even a product: battery safety. Don’t put lithium batteries in checked luggage, and don’t toss batteries in the trash or recycling stream—fires are a real issue. I also checked out creator-focused gear (RØDE and a USB‑C mic with smart auto-leveling/noise control) because if I’m filming chaos all week, the audio better survive it.