Spotlight on CES

Issue 146 l Eka’s Weekly Roundup (9 Jan 2026)

Jan 09, 2026

One of my favorite parts of watching CES from afar was seeing Jensen Huang on stage with a fleet of dancing humanoid robots (see below).

But while the humanoids were providing the entertainment at the Las Vegas Convention Center, two Eka portfolio companies were on the floor showing how this “Physical AI” revolution is actually going to change lives.

1. XRlabs: the SurgicalOS moment

Moving from the street to the surgery, XRlabs dropped an announcement on Day 1 regarding their deep-integration partnership with Nvidia. They are leveraging the full Nvidia Jetson Thor and Isaac for Healthcare stack to solve one of the hardest problems in medicine: the black box of the operating room.

They’ve unveiled a modular “retrofit” layer called SurgicalOS.

It plugs into existing surgical exoscopes (the high-def cameras surgeons use to see inside you).
Powered by Jetson Thor, the system performs real-time, low-latency analysis of surgical video. It doesn’t just “watch”; it tracks tools, recognizes anatomy, and provides intent-aware automation.
Imagine a camera that knows exactly what a surgeon is looking for and automatically adjusts its framing, or a system that flags a specific nerve before a tool even touches it.

“Surgery generates exceptional data, yet very little of it becomes real-time intelligence at the point of care,” says Dr. Ali Haddad, XRlabs CEO and practicing neurosurgeon. “We are bridging the sim-to-real gap.”

This is the first time we’ve seen Nvidia’s Isaac platform move so decisively into the clinic. By using a “simulation-first” mindset, XRlabs can train their AI in virtual environments and deploy it into real ORs with extreme reliability.

2. MakeSense: navigation for the real world

Following their Grand Prize win at the CTA Foundation Pitch last year, MakeSense returned to CES with more to show.

If Jensen’s robots show how machines navigate a stage, MakeSense shows how AI can help humans navigate the world. It’s a perfect example of applied autonomy: taking the high-level math of spatial intelligence and shrinking it into a device that fits in your pocket.

3. Beyond the hospital (and into broader health & climate…)

Withings unveiled the Body Scan 2. It tracks 60+ biomarkers, including heart pumping efficiency and hypertension risk, in a 90-second morning scan.
Roborock’s Saros Rover officially solved the multi-floor problem. It uses robotic limbs to mimic human walking, allowing it to climb stairs while cleaning.
Jackery showcased an AI-powered solar robot that autonomously “follows the sun” around your yard to maximize energy collection - effectively a mobile power mothership.
Clear Drop won praise for a kitchen appliance that mashes soft plastics (bags/wraps) into dense, recyclable bricks, solving a massive gap in the circular economy.