CES 2026: Construction just got its first robot
Infrastructure Catalyst
Issue #4 | January 15, 2026
What if the most dangerous work on your jobsite—welding at height, structural inspections, elevated installations—didn't require a human on the lift?
JLG's robotic boom lift does exactly that. It won CES 2026 Best of Innovation.
CES (Consumer Electronics Show) is the world's largest technology trade show. Historically focused on TVs and smartphones, this year marked a shift: construction technology earned its own award category, and Caterpillar delivered a keynote. Infrastructure tech is now sharing the stage with consumer gadgets.
For infrastructure PMs, the announcements were unusually practical. Equipment AI that runs without cloud connectivity. Drones that capture 360-degree site documentation without FAA registration. Platforms that unify data from disconnected vendor systems.
Here's what was announced, what it costs, and what matters for your projects.
WHAT WAS ANNOUNCED AT CES 2026
HoloTwin: Unified Data Integration Across Disconnected Systems (TechRadar Pro CES Picks Winner)
What it is: HoloTwin won the TechRadar Pro CES Picks Award 2026 for Enterprise and Smart Infrastructure Innovation. The platform addresses a critical pain point: data fragmentation across disconnected vendor systems.
What it does: HoloTwin consolidates live data from facilities, networks, utilities, sensors, and security systems into a spatially accurate digital twin reflecting real-world infrastructure conditions. Instead of switching between SCADA dashboards, BMS interfaces, security feeds, and environmental sensors, operators see everything in one unified interface.
The platform works alongside existing systems without requiring replacement. It pulls data from whatever you already have and presents it in coordinated 3D visualization.
What it costs: Enterprise subscription model (contact HoloTwin for pricing).
Availability: Available now
For infrastructure PMs, this means: Large infrastructure projects and facilities involve dozens of vendor systems that don't communicate. Water treatment plants have SCADA, building management, security, environmental monitoring, and maintenance systems - all from different vendors, all with separate dashboards.
Practical applications include water treatment plant operations integrating SCADA, security, environmental monitoring, and maintenance systems; transit facility management consolidating passenger information, HVAC, power systems, and safety monitoring; bridge instrumentation aggregating strain gauges, accelerometers, weather stations, and traffic sensors.
The question is implementation complexity. "Works alongside existing systems" sounds straightforward, but connecting to legacy SCADA systems and proprietary vendor APIs rarely is. The ROI case depends on how much time your operations teams currently spend switching between dashboards and manually correlating data across systems.
Worth evaluating if you manage facilities with 5+ disconnected monitoring systems. Less relevant for pure construction-phase work where the systems don't exist yet.
Doosan Bobcat Smart Construction Suite: AI for Compact Equipment
What it is: Doosan Bobcat showcased multiple AI-powered innovations for compact construction equipment—the skid steers, mini excavators, and compact track loaders that appear on nearly every infrastructure site. The centerpiece is the Jobsite Companion, the industry's first AI system for compact equipment that runs a proprietary large language model entirely onboard without cloud dependency.
What it does: The Jobsite Companion automates 50+ equipment functions through voice commands and display interaction. Operators can say "adjust bucket angle for grading" or "set attachment for trenching" and the system executes automatically. The AI provides expert-level guidance for optimal attachment use based on soil conditions, material type, and task requirements.
The Collision Warning and Avoidance System represents a first for compact equipment—using imaging radar to track object position, direction, and speed in real-time. The system automatically slows or stops machines when hazards are detected.
The Advanced Display Technology integrates MicroLED transparent auto-tint displays into cab doors, overlaying 360° camera views, collision alerts, and performance data directly on the operator's natural field of view.
What it costs: Part of new equipment purchase. Production rollout through 2026. The modular BSUP battery system works across Bobcat equipment types and is designed for cross-OEM compatibility.
Availability: Prototypes demonstrated at CES 2026; production units through 2026
For infrastructure PMs, this means: Compact equipment handles trenching, excavation, grading, and material handling across utility, site prep, and finishing work. The onboard AI (no cloud required) addresses connectivity limitations on remote sites while potentially reducing training time for new operators—critical given workforce turnover.
The practical test: Can a PM put a less-experienced operator in a Bobcat with AI guidance and achieve productivity approaching that of a 10-year veteran? If yes, the labor shortage problem becomes more manageable.
Worth watching: The RogueX3 concept machine showcased modular powertrain design accepting electric, diesel, hybrid, or hydrogen systems. The same platform operates cabbed, remote-controlled, or fully autonomous with configurable wheels or tracks. This flexibility could address varying site requirements—electric for urban noise restrictions, diesel for remote locations, autonomous for repetitive tasks.
JLG Boom Lift with Robotic End Effector (CES Best of Innovation Winner)
What it is: JLG won CES 2026 Best of Innovation in Robotics for a boom lift that transforms into an autonomous job-performing robot. This isn't incremental improvement—it's a fundamental rethinking of elevated work.
What it does: The system combines robotic manipulators with AI-guided control, multi-sensor perception, and autonomous navigation. The robot can perform welding, inspection, installation, and material handling at elevation—tasks that previously required workers in elevated positions.
The robotic end effector integrates with digital twins and jobsite management platforms, enabling pre-programmed task execution based on BIM coordinates. The system uses multi-sensor perception for positioning and navigation, and connects to JLG's ClearSky Smart Fleet for coordination.
What it costs: Equipment pricing not yet announced. Electric powertrain means it can operate in noise and emission-restricted environments where traditional lifts face limitations.
Availability: Concept stage; production timeline 2026-2027
For infrastructure PMs, this means: Working at height is one of OSHA's "Fatal Four" hazard categories. This system eliminates human exposure while performing repetitive elevated tasks.
Practical applications include autonomous inspection and maintenance of bridge structural elements, welding operations on elevated steel, installation of overhead utilities and signage on highway projects, and material placement in hard-to-reach locations.
The timeline question matters. "Concept stage" means real deployment is likely 18-24 months out. Don't expect this on your 2026 projects. Do expect clients asking about it by 2027-2028.
Caterpillar Cat AI Assistant: Equipment Intelligence Without Cloud Dependency
What it is: Cat AI Assistant runs on NVIDIA Jetson Thor, entirely at the edge—no cloud connection required. The system provides voice-activated operator coaching, maintenance scheduling, and safety guidance by accessing 16 petabytes of equipment data.
What it does: Operators ask questions via voice commands. The AI answers based on equipment manuals, maintenance history, and operating conditions. Predictive maintenance alerts trigger based on actual equipment performance, not just scheduled intervals.
The five-machine autonomous lineup previewed includes excavators, dozers (Cat D5), haul trucks (Cat 745), wheel loaders, and compactors (Cat CS12)—all using integrated LiDAR, radar, GPS, and 360-degree cameras.
What it costs: Included with equipment purchase or lease. Retrofit capability for existing fleets not yet announced.
Availability: Q1 2026 for off-board capabilities (fleet management, maintenance planning). In-cab features completing validation.
For infrastructure PMs, this means: Edge computing addresses real connectivity limitations on remote infrastructure sites. GPS-denied environments, limited cellular coverage, and equipment operating in dust/vibration conditions.
The predictive maintenance angle is where this gets interesting for PMs. Equipment downtime is expensive—both direct costs and schedule impacts. If the AI can predict failures accurately enough to schedule preventive maintenance during planned downtime, the ROI case is straightforward.
The unknown: What's the false positive rate on maintenance alerts? How does the system handle equipment operating outside its training data—like excavators in contaminated soil or dozers in extreme weather?
Antigravity A1: 360-Degree Site Documentation Drone (CES Best of Innovation Winner)
What it is: The Antigravity A1 won CES 2026 Best of Innovation in Drones for solving a persistent problem in aerial site documentation: capturing comprehensive imagery without blind spots. At 249 grams, it falls below FAA registration thresholds.
What it does: The dual-lens 8K 360-degree camera system produces seamless spherical footage with no blind spots. Proprietary algorithms render the drone invisible in imagery—you get clean site documentation without the aircraft appearing in shots.
The vision goggles provide immersive first-person view for navigation. The grip motion controller with point-to-fly gestures enables intuitive operation by field personnel without drone piloting expertise. The Ambarella CV5 AI vision processor handles on-device processing.
What it costs: Consumer-grade pricing tier (available at B&H Photo and direct from Antigravity). Significantly less than commercial drone systems.
Availability: Available now
For infrastructure PMs, this means: Site documentation typically requires multiple flights or camera angles, increasing cost and complexity. The A1 captures complete spherical imagery in single passes while remaining light enough for rapid deployment without regulatory overhead.
Practical applications include daily progress documentation on linear projects (roads, pipelines, transmission lines), stakeholder presentations with immersive 360-degree fly-throughs, as-built documentation for structures and site conditions, and safety inspections of elevated or confined areas.
The 249g weight is the key detail. Under 250g means no FAA registration required, no Remote ID requirements, and simplified operational rules. Your field engineers can deploy this without the regulatory burden of commercial drones.
The question: How does 8K 360-degree footage integrate with your existing documentation workflows? If your firm uses standard photo logs and PDF reports, the spherical format may require workflow changes. If you're already using platforms that support 360 imagery, this is a straightforward upgrade.
Other Notable Announcements
John Deere Vogele Smart Pave (Available 2026): John Deere showcased the Wirtgen Group's Smart Pave system for GPS-guided paving. The system eliminates physical reference markers—stringlines, grade stakes, and survey points—using virtual references derived from design files. For highway and runway work, this means faster setup and higher precision. The technology transfer from agricultural autonomy (where John Deere achieves 20-30% yield improvement) to construction equipment is real.
Autodesk Construction Cloud AI (Available now in beta): Natural language search across project data; automated closeout documentation addressing the 30% data loss typical at project completion; OCR extraction of title block attributes from PDFs.
Solid-state LiDAR from Hesai and Seyond: Prices dropped to $400-500/unit (down from $5,000-10,000). Makes infrastructure monitoring economically viable. Seyond's Hummingbird D1 is BABA-compliant (critical for public sector procurement).
Siemens Digital Twin Composer (Mid-2026): PepsiCo deployment showed 90% of potential issues identified before physical build, 20% throughput increases. Most relevant for facility projects (water treatment, transit stations) where virtual testing of operational scenarios provides clear value. Less clear how this applies to linear infrastructure.
UPCOMING EVENTS
World of Concrete 2026 | January 21-23, 2026
Las Vegas Convention Center | Las Vegas, NV
worldofconcrete.com
Microsoft Ignite 2026 | March 2-6, 2026
Seattle Convention Center | Seattle, WA
ignite.microsoft.com
CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 | March 3-7, 2026
Las Vegas Convention Center | Las Vegas, NV
conexpoconagg.com
If you read all of this, you already know what's coming. Robots on the jobsite aren't a question of if—they're a question of how soon.
From the field, for the field—I'll keep you posted
Joseph Dib, PE, PMP
Infrastructure Catalyst
