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Why are there so many robots in an exhibition focused on phones? That’s the question I asked myself as I wandered the halls of Mobile World Congress last month, searching for the most exciting technology that will define the next few years.
The first and most obvious answer is that robots attract crowds. A dancing robot is an easy way to attract people to your booth. But to view the bots at this year’s Mobile World Congress as merely a publicity stunt would be to ignore the larger conversation around robotics and connectivity.
Already in 2026, we have seen great leaps forward in robotics, including enterprises Boston Dynamics And the phone maker honor Showcasing humanoid robots designed for industrial and domestic environments. But there is another level to unlock, which is… Based on 6G – Next generation network technology that is set to succeed 5G in 2030 and beyond.
On the surface, it may seem that 6G and robotics have no obvious connection, other than being technologies of a future we don’t yet live in. But in this future, 6G technology will open new doors for humanoid robots that will transform them from huge, autonomous mechanical statues into efficient fleets, where individuals will form part of an ecosystem that senses everything and is always learning.
This will happen first in industry, then in hospitality and care environments, before it reaches our homes. It’s an exciting prospect, but as the experts I spoke to at MWC last month warned, there will be some big leaps in technology required before we are, and are, ready for it.
6G power
To understand how 6G will open up new possibilities for robotics, let’s start with the special capabilities that networking technology will have.
The first is that 6G will act as a sensor network, with sensors embedded in both robots and their environments, Qualcomm’s executive vice president of robotics, Nakul Duggal, told me.
This allows the 6G radio to act like a radar, constantly scanning and mapping its surroundings in real-time to detect obstacles. Imagine a robot trying to navigate a crowded environment: 6G should quickly and cheaply help it create some sort of virtual map so it can do so safely.
Second, there is the pure speed with which 6G will be able to deliver massive amounts of data. The 5G networks we currently use are not necessarily designed to handle AI requests, but 6G networks will provide a consistent, low-latency and relatively low-power way to process intelligence and deliver that intelligence to robots, according to Frank Long, associate director of intelligent services at deep technology research firm Cambridge Consultants.
Private 5G networks combined with AI (relying on computing hardware, not just the cloud) could fill the gap for now, but public networks, not so much. In contrast, Long said, “With 6G, you get pretty much guaranteed quality of service.”
Cambridge Consultants brought a demonstration of an autonomous robot to MWC that can pick up a box and place it based on where it points. Gesture recognition, as well as the ability to respond in real time, while changing its grip to pick up something that might be at an angle, requires an enormous amount of computing power. (The demo was powered by a private 5G network.)
The robot was able to pick up this box and place it where I indicated.
Whether the bots are connected to the cloud, or to each other in a peer-to-peer fleet, the network will need to handle its intelligence requirements quickly. Anshuman Saxena, general manager of robotics at chipmaker Qualcomm, explained that for robots to constantly talk to the infrastructure around them — and to each other — a strong, reliable link will be needed.
He gave the example of two robots working in a retail environment where one unloads soft drink cans from a truck, and the other restocks shelves. They will need to agree on how to read the space around them to complete each task, including understanding how many cans will need to be placed, and when they will be ready.
“The only way is for this robot, while being placed on the shelves, to go to the back door of the truck that is being unloaded and see what is available,” Saxena said. “Or the robot that is unloading the load communicates the bigger picture to every other robot, so we can see where to put things, so they can plan.”
This is what’s known as long-horizon planning, where the robot doesn’t just focus on the immediate task, but thinks about how that task fits into a broader context over a longer time frame within a dynamic, unstructured environment. In other words, it performs the kind of constant multitasking that humans do every day, quickly reacting to what’s going on around us, while also thinking about what’s next. In the Cambridge consultant’s demonstration, the robot was able to think 16 steps ahead.
Meanwhile, ultra-fast 6G technology will help robots make split-second decisions, based on feedback not only from their sensor-packed bodies, but also from other robots and technology in the environment. “Retail stores have cameras,” Saxena said. “It’s not a robot, but it could be the eyes of a robot.”
For robots, every day will be a school day
In your home, you may only have one human-like robot. But this won’t be as different from a retail scenario as you think.
This is because many of the devices you own, including your phone and security cameras, can already communicate with each other, and the robot would be just another robot in the mix. Or perhaps you will have one robot and a group of smaller robots designed for specific tasks.
“There is a fleet aspect to the products we use,” Dougall said. “You don’t feel it, but that’s exactly how the product works.”
Keep in mind that your phone is itself a physical object and all of its software and data are managed elsewhere. The phone also provides feedback to improve this software, as well as the 6G-equipped robots.
“So the robot will do a particular physical task, and even though it may be performing it in your home, if it is also performing the same task in many other homes, there is a learning and dissemination aspect,” Dougal said.
This continuous learning is perhaps one of the biggest challenges that 6G technology is expected to help solve in robotics. Robots and AI will need vast amounts of real-world data that today’s networks cannot keep up with, even for mundane tasks.
For example: picking up a cup of coffee and offering it to you, which requires dexterity and balance, with the added element of heat. The robotic arm may not care about the temperature. “But if it’s hot, how will we react?” Saxena said. “We’ll let go quickly, and it’s a very quick reaction time.”
The speed of 6G networks will be essential. By the time the robot arrives in our homes, we’ll want to know that it shouldn’t serve us a very hot drink and how to protect itself from damage.
Much of this learning may have happened in hotels or restaurants, where overnight robots load and unload dishwashers and reset the kitchen. The robot will bring this training into your home, where it will still need to learn more about your unique layout and routine. This is likely to be a time-consuming process.
Qualcomm works with several robotics companies, including Neura Robotics, which develops robots for industrial and home use.
“It’s going to be very difficult,” Long said. “To put it this way, my family members still have trouble opening the baby gate in my drawer, even after extensive training. So, I think the robot may be a few years away from opening that baby gate.”
Preparing robots for 6G… and our homes
But 6G is not expected to be widely deployed until at least 2030. What are the robots that companies are already building and deploying to do until then?
They are making huge leaps in what they can do with today’s networks. “So, you’re not waiting for 6G, but when connectivity comes, you’re talking about experiences that could be beyond what robots can do (today),” Saxena said.
While the convergence of robotics and 6G will indeed unlock some as-yet-unseen next-level robots, there’s a lot robots can learn in the meantime — especially when it comes to improving dexterity — to prepare them to take advantage of better connectivity. This is especially true if we want to consider inviting humanoids into our homes, an idea that seems, at least for now, like something worth postponing until at least the 2030s — if not beyond.