I'm a simple emigrant and I look at the uprising of machines with curiosity

A few days ago, the CES 2026 trade show in Las Vegas ended. There, companies showcase their best technological achievements. And while people discuss a smart toilet and an anime girl in a smart AI-bio-luxury-resort column, I went to see what the German engineers had conjured up there. For me, the main development from Germany is exoskeletons. The company German Bionic brought the new Exia model. And it’s pure cyberpunk. It looks like a backpack with legs that turns an ordinary warehouse worker into a budget Iron Man. Put one of these on — and you can carry 40 kg boxes and help patients get out of bed, while your back feels as if you’re just carrying a baguette from the bakery. In my view, these developments are very timely for Germany, given the labor shortage and an average age already almost 44. This is one of the first exoskeletons in the world with deep integration. This means the AI in it literally predicts when you want to bend and supports movement even before you’ve thought about it. It also adapts to the person’s gait, evaluates ergonomics, and warns if the worker intends to lift a load in the wrong position. Some “friendly” companies are already using them in pilot mode, for example at the DHL Innovation Center in Germany. I hope this will solve the problem of “couldn’t deliver the package because you weren’t home (and you were).” But that’s not the only German thing that grabbed me: BMW iX3. A car that projects all information onto the windshield. So you’re driving and, for example, navigation arrows appear right ahead on the road. I can’t yet imagine driving with something like that, but I think for professionals who regularly drive to new locations it’s a big help. The main thing is that a Denera ad on half the screen doesn’t suddenly pop up. Siemens and their glasses. They partnered with Meta, and now an engineer at a factory can look at a broken machine through smart glasses, and they highlight which screw to turn. And although such technology has been used for about ten years, they say it has now made a big qualitative leap. Now it’s a full fusion of a precise engineering 3D model with the machine, and AI understands the context and the position of each part with millimeter precision in real time. I think it’s ideal for those who first completely break something and only then open the manual. ZF EasyTurn. ZF have invented an innovative front-axle technology where the wheels turn 80°. This means the car can turn around literally on a tiny patch, and you won’t have to turn the steering wheel for 20 minutes. You know that feeling when a healthy bus somehow drives and turns on the narrow streets of Europe? This technology will make such turns even easier. Just a little more and the parking portion of driving tests could be dropped. Of course, it’s funnier to write about faxes and paper letters, but I think German inventions are about huge practical benefits. Probably that’s why you hear little about them in everyday life: who’s interested in reading about some controller? And yet, it helps save lives and health. #madeinGermany