In Shenzhen, a humanoid robot threads a needle with sub-millimeter precision for just $16,000 USD—less than annual worker cost. At CES 2026 this January, Intel’s 2nm chips deliver 180 TOPS of AI, enabling millisecond decisions. World models give machines deep physical space understanding. Korean companies captured 60% of Innovation Awards. The convergence of affordable humanoids, production-ready AI, and edge processing enables entirely new manufacturing strategies impossible with human labor.