ThrottleNet attended CES in person this year, and two of our leaders, President George Rosenthal and CEO Mike Heil, spent time on the show floor seeing what’s next firsthand. After everything we saw, one conclusion stood out: autonomy is no longer experimental. It’s here, it’s operational, and it’s spreading fast.

Below is our recap of what stood out most, followed by what we think business owners should take away from it.

The Recap: What’s New

1) Autonomy moved from “demo” to “deployment”

Self-driving technology was everywhere. Autonomous taxis and delivery vans are already operating in real cities, and the show floor reflected that momentum.

What really caught our attention was how quickly autonomy is expanding beyond passenger vehicles:

• Agriculture: Farm equipment that can plant, monitor, and harvest with fewer people involved and higher yields.
• Construction and heavy equipment: Backhoes and skid steers that can drive and operate themselves, reducing labor strain and improving safety.

This shift matters because it signals a broader trend: autonomy is being built for industries where labor is scarce, safety is critical, and efficiency is everything.

2) The “car as a workspace” is becoming the default vision

Inside vehicles, the future of commuting looked fundamentally different. We saw designs where steering wheels retract into the dashboard, and windshields transform into transparent workspaces.

The message is that travel time won’t just be passive time. It’ll be usable time, meeting time, planning time, focused work time. The vehicle becomes another productivity environment.

3) Robotics crossed from novelty into practicality

Robotics has quietly moved into the “this is actually useful” category.

We saw robots designed to do real work in real settings, including:

• Cleaning windows on skyscrapers
• Installing residential roofing
• Scrubbing bathrooms and cleaning pools
• Maintaining lawns and repairing golf course divots

In factories and warehouses, robots are now lifting, moving, and sorting; some even replacing their own batteries to stay operational with less human intervention.

We also saw more customer-facing roles: concierge-style assistants and counter staff. And yes—one robot held its own in a ping-pong match against humans, which was equal parts impressive and hilarious.

4) Robot pets weren’t a gimmick, they were a trend

One of the standout “quiet trends” was robot pets and companion-style helpers. These weren’t positioned only as entertainment. They were shown:

• Organizing items
• Assisting around the home
• Acting like personal assistants

It’s a signal that people are getting comfortable with autonomous helpers in everyday life and that comfort tends to show up in workplace expectations sooner than we think.

5) Wearables escaped the wrist

Wearables have expanded far beyond watches. CES showcased health and performance tracking through:

• Belts, shoes, sleep masks, and pillows
• A growing range of smart glasses

These devices track posture, movement, sleep quality, and real-time health metrics—often layering augmented reality into daily life. The direction is clear: always-on, subtle tech that gives continuous insight without feeling intrusive.

6) Displays are becoming “invisible” (and that’s the point)

One of the most striking parts of CES was how seamless displays have become:

• Picture frames that look like traditional artwork but are actually high-resolution screens
• TVs that are transparent
• Displays thinner than a pencil
• Ultra-bright MicroLED walls capable of covering entire surfaces with stunning contrast

This isn’t just about prettier screens. It’s about screens becoming part of the environment; embedded into the spaces where we work, collaborate, and share information.

7) Yes, flying cars and air taxis are on the floor now

Flying cars and air taxis were on display—and regardless of how soon widespread adoption happens, the signal is real: transportation is preparing to expand upward, and the technology ecosystem around it is moving quickly.

What This Means for Businesses

CES wasn’t telling every company to “go buy a robot.” But it was signaling that businesses are entering a more autonomous world—one where more work happens through connected systems that operate with less human input.

That shift creates opportunity, but it also raises the bar for how businesses manage technology.

Your “attack surface” is expanding in non-obvious ways

Autonomous vehicles, robotics, wearables, smart displays—these aren’t just gadgets. They’re connected endpoints that can:

• Send data to cloud platforms
• Receive software and firmware updates
• Connect to mobile devices and business networks
• Rely on third-party apps, portals, and vendor support channels

In other words: even if the tech isn’t a laptop or server, it still needs to be treated like IT.

Data will be collected automatically and constantly

Wearables and smart systems are built around continuous insight. That can improve decisions and productivity, but it also changes the privacy and compliance picture.

Business owners should be thinking about:

• What data is being collected (especially health/biometric or location data)
• Where it’s stored (vendor cloud, employee phone, business systems)
• Who can access it
• How long it’s retained

Even a simple “pilot program” with smart devices can unintentionally create sensitive data flows if there aren’t guardrails.

Productivity is moving into new environments (vehicles included)

If the car becomes a workspace, security expectations need to follow. The more work happens on the move, the more important it is to have basics nailed down:

• Strong identity and access controls (MFA, conditional access)
• Secure collaboration policies (sharing settings, guest access rules)
• Device management for phones/tablets
• Clear expectations for where company data can live

Autonomous systems still need maintenance—just a different kind

Autonomy reduces manual labor, but it increases dependence on:

• Software updates
• Remote monitoring
• Vendor portals and admin accounts
• Network reliability and segmentation

If a robot cleans your facility at night or a piece of equipment runs semi-autonomously, downtime now looks like a software issue as often as it looks like a mechanical issue.

The foundation matters more than chasing the trend

For most SMBs, the winning move isn’t buying the newest tech—it’s making sure your environment is ready for it.

A practical starting checklist we recommend:

• Asset visibility: Know what’s connected and who owns it
• Access governance: Limit admin accounts and enforce MFA everywhere
• Network segmentation: Keep operational tech separated from core business systems
• Vendor due diligence: Understand data handling, support access, and update practices
• Incident readiness: Have a plan for what happens when a connected system fails—or gets compromised

At ThrottleNet, our job is to help businesses adopt new capabilities without inheriting unnecessary risk. CES reinforced something we’ve been seeing for years: innovation moves fast, but the businesses that benefit most are the ones with solid fundamentals—security, governance, and managed infrastructure.

If you’re starting to see more automation, smart devices, or connected equipment entering your industry, we can help you evaluate what it means for your environment and build a roadmap that keeps things secure, stable, and scalable.