Chicago's McCormick Place has basically turned into a working factory this week as Automate 2026 fills the halls with industrial arms, collaborative cobots and a fresh wave of humanoid machines. Engineers, procurement teams and curious neighbors are crowding into the convention center to watch live demos, press exhibitors on safety and cost, and size up which robots might actually earn a place on real factory floors. The whole scene is a blunt reminder that automation is quickly moving from research labs into everyday industry.
Show Details and Scale
Automate runs June 22–25, 2026, at McCormick Place, and organizers expect more than 50,000 visitors, 1,000+ exhibitors, and roughly 450,000 square feet of exhibit space, with 200+ speakers and 140+ conference sessions. Those numbers and the keynote lineup are published on the show's official site, according to Automate.
Local Coverage and The Floor
Local crews have been on the floor capturing the scale. In a video, CBS News Chicago called the machines "the stars of the new trade show" and showed aisles of booths where attendees lined up to watch live demos.
Humanoid Pavilion and 'Physical AI'
A centerpiece is an all-new Humanoid Robot Pavilion, sponsored by NVIDIA, that gathers companies building legged and human-form machines for tasks that demand mobility and dexterous manipulation. The pavilion includes exhibitors from names such as Unitree, Gatlin Robotics, PSYONIC and Robot.com, and it will host free theater sessions and staged demos on the show floor, according to Automate.
Why The Timing Matters
The Association for Advancing Automation reports North American robot orders rose 6.6% in 2025, about 36,766 units valued at roughly $2.25 billion, with collaborative robots capturing a growing share of new orders. That momentum is part of why vendors are racing to turn lab prototypes into machines customers can see and test, according to A3.
What Companies Are Showing
Big names on the floor are pitching "physical AI" - stacks that combine machine vision, real-time control and on-device models so robots can react to messy, real-world conditions. FANUC, for example, outlined plans to showcase AI-enabled robot cells and collaborative systems with live demos and rapid-deployment solutions, as detailed by FANUC America.
If you plan to go, bring patience and closed-toe shoes: demo lines form early and some presentation rooms fill fast. For a quicker view, you can head straight to the Humanoid Pavilion stage and the Automate show theater for short vendor demos instead of multi-hour conference sessions.
Whether you work in manufacturing or are just robot-curious, Automate 2026 is a rare chance to see where industrial automation is actually heading and to compare systems in one place. Chicago will host the crowds and the machines through the end of the week, and the convention center is likely to look very different once the aisles finally quiet down.
