Tombot’s ‘Jennie’ pet steals hearts at CES 2026 with real-world demos of robotic companionship

Amid the flashing lights and buzzing devices of CES 2026, robotic pets are making an enormous splash.

From Ludens AI’s fuzzy “Cocomo” duo that observe house owners across the dwelling, to the Vbot pup providing video and sensible help, and Loona’s playful interactive bot, these autonomous companions are turning heads — largely in CES’ Eureka Park startup zone.

But one visionary firm is pushing boundaries past the conference ground: Santa Clarita, California-based Tombot.

At Tombot’s immersive, homelike sales space within the Venetian Expo, the corporate is showcasing Jennie, its hyperrealistic robotic golden retriever pet. Even extra impressively, Tombot took Jennie into the true world for hands-on demonstrations at senior residing communities.

“Showing Jennie in a booth is one thing, but proving her impact in everyday settings is something else entirely,” mentioned Tombot CEO and founder Tom Stevens.

On Monday, Stevens and his workforce spent hours at MorningStar at The Canyons in Las Vegas and Merrill Gardens at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, letting residents work together instantly with a number of Jennies.

The responses have been heartfelt. Resident Margaret Botts, cradling a Jennie, exclaimed, “She wants to go home with me!”

She marveled on the practical particulars.

“I can actually feel her heartbeat,” Botts mentioned. “When I stroke her, it seems to go faster — like she’s really enjoying it.”

For Botts, who misplaced her beloved canine years in the past and might not stroll an actual pet attributable to mobility points, the encounter evoked deep feelings.

“I had a dog for 14 years, and I still miss him,” she mentioned. “This brings back that joy without the challenges.”

Her husband, Bill Botts, a retired electrical engineer with a passion for synthetic intelligence, agreed.

“It’s great, especially for seniors who feel isolated in their apartments,” Bill mentioned. “This provides genuine companionship — far beyond a stuffed toy. It feels real.”

Though he joked Margaret may solely share Jennie “once or twice a month,” each praised the $1,500 worth level as cheap for such superior know-how.

“There’s a lot that goes into it,” Bill mentioned.

Merrill Gardens General Manager Dawn Aragon famous the profound impact the know-how has: “The residents absolutely loved it. You could see the joy on their faces — this brought real happiness to our community.”

Courtesy Kenny Fried

Courtesy Kenny Fried

Courtesy Kenny Fried

Courtesy Kenny Fried

Courtesy Kenny Fried

Jennie, modeled after an eight to 10-week-old pet and developed in collaboration with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, isn’t any odd robotic. Fully autonomous, she responds to voice, contact and motion with lifelike behaviors, together with a detectable “heartbeat,” tail wags and genuine pet sounds recorded from actual canine.

Designed for security — no ground roaming to keep away from tripping hazards — Jennie is constructed for lap-based interplay, with all-day battery life and simple cleansing.

Founder Tom Stevens was impressed to create Jennie after having to take away his dementia-affected mom’s actual canine for security causes, a loss that deepened her loneliness. After 9 years of analysis and growth, Tombot is finalizing manufacturing, with enhanced cosmetics unveiled at CES 2026 and shipments anticipated later this yr to greater than 18,000 preorder clients worldwide.

Targeting the hundreds of thousands of seniors going through dementia, cognitive impairment, nervousness or isolation, Jennie goals to ship confirmed therapeutic advantages — comparable to lowered agitation and medicine wants — whereas pursuing FDA recognition as a medical machine.

In a discipline shifting robotics from industrial instruments to emotional supporters, Tombot’s real-world outreach at CES 2026 reveals Jennie isn’t simply progressive — she’s transformative.

Steve Winter and Kenny Fried are WTOP contributors who work for Brotman•Winter•Fried Consulting, a Bethesda-based public relations and particular occasions company.