K-medical devices sweep CES2026…'Physical AI'

Account for 60% of Innovation Award Winners…Digital health, No.1 in CES trends

Diagnostic, rehabilitation, and digital medicines…'prevention·personalization·precision' strategies

Unveiling platform for North American regulatory approvals·insurance coverage, beyond exhibition

Korea's medical device companies will participate in world's largest IT and consumer electronics show 'CES2026,' scheduled to kick off on January 6 (local time) next year.

Source: CES website

Analysis suggests that the emergence of 'Physical AI', where AI integrates with physical bodies and medical procedures rather than remaining a mere hardware display, is evaluated to have elevated the status of K-medical devices to a new level.

According to the 'CES 2026 Preview' report published by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), the core shift in this year's CES is the evolution of AI toward combining with physical environments beyond the virtual world. The digital health and medical device industries are at the forefront of this trend.

Digital health, Ranked No. 1 in CES trends... The transformation of a 'Consumer Electronics Show'

CES is the world's largest tech exhibition, visited by over 180,000 people from 170 countries annually. It serves as a global stage that concentrates the flow of future technologies, including AI, digital healthcare, mobility, and smart homes.

In particular, this year's CES is expected to feature medical AI with high utility in clinical settings, automation-based diagnostic technologies, and innovations in women's health as major themes.

According to KOTRA's analysis of industry trends for CES 2026, the digital health sector recorded the highest growth rate among all industry groups, with the number of participating companies increasing by approximately 7.4% year-over-year. This is a signal that CES, which once centered on smartphones and TVs, is shifting its center of gravity toward the medical and healthcare sectors.

Furthermore, 'Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS)', where AI assists in diagnosis and treatment decision-making beyond simple monitoring, and precision medicine have emerged as key keywords. Analysis suggests that the expansion of data infrastructure and the advancement of AI have brought personalized medical solutions into the reality.

Korea accounts for 60% of Innovation Award Winners, with the second-largest number of participating companies

The progress of Korean companies is particularly outstanding in CES 2026.

Among the 284 companies receiving Innovation Awards, 168 are Korean companies, accounting for approximately 60% of the total. After maintaining the status as the country with the most awards for three consecutive years, Korea has further expanded its market share.

At CES 2026, KOTRA will operate a unified Korea Pavilion comprising 470 companies in cooperation with 38 related organizations and local governments.

This is highly regarded as a 'practical export platform' aimed at connecting with global medical institutions, insurers, and partners, moving beyond a simple exhibition.

'Non-invasive·Personalized' treatment areas..focus on the expansion of diagnostic technology

First, in the field of treatment, non-invasive and personalized were presented as core trends.

Gbrain, a two-time Innovation Award winner, highlighted its competitiveness in the invasive Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) field with a fully implantable brain stimulation system for treating brain diseases such as Parkinson's.

The device, in which AI analyzes brainwaves in real-time to adjust stimulation, is cited as an example demonstrating the clinical applicability of BCI technology.

The keywords for this year's CES are artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and digital health.

EverEx, a digital rehabilitation solution company, drew attention with its 'MORA' platform, which supports rehabilitation based on smartphone cameras without requiring separate equipment. Currently, predictive AI-based rehabilitation is being evaluated as a potential alternative to address medical personnel shortages and cost issues.

In the diagnostic field, liquid biopsy and on-device AI technology have emerged.

Exopert will showcase an automated early-stage multi-cancer detection platform based on exosome analysis, while Noul plans to present the possibility of automating field diagnostics through its cervical cancer Point-of-Care (PoC) diagnostic solution.

By participating in CES, Noul expects to accelerate business development in North America and Latin America, its current areas of focus.

Additionally, technologies such as SevenPointOne's voice-based brain health check 'AlzWIN' and WIRobotics' walking assist robot 'WIM S' will showcase technologies that accelerate 'digital transformation' by extending the scope of diagnosis from hospitals to daily life.

Wontech presented a total healthcare strategy combining non-contact vital sign measurement and pain treatment devices, while An&Luck proposed an aging response model through a community-integrated care platform. This demonstrates that strategies combining services and platforms are becoming full-scale, moving beyond individual hardware products.

The industry views CES 2026 as a turning point where Korean medical devices transition from manufacturing competition to a software- and solution-centered industry.

A medical device industry official stated, "The growth indicators for digital health identified at CES are a signal of the competition for global leadership. The next task is to translate these achievements into results through North American regulatory approvals and entry into insurance reimbursement."