CES 2026: Paper batteries, blackjack-playing robot among products showcased by Singapore firms

LAS VEGAS – Common rechargeable batteries such as lithium-ion ones rely on scarce materials that can also be dangerous, but one Singapore start-up is bringing a more sustainable and safer alternative to electronic devices.

Flint is set to commercialise its first line of paper batteries later in 2026, which can be used in keyboards, computer mice and wearables.

Chief among its materials is cellulose, which can be extracted from all kinds of plants.

The 10-strong team is one of more than 30 firms from Singapore among over 4,000 exhibitors showcasing their most cutting-edge products from Jan 6 to 9 at CES 2026.

The Straits Times trawled the show floor of the world’s largest tech trade show, which is held annually in Las Vegas, to highlight innovations from Singapore.

Environmentally friendly paper batteries in wearables, office tech

While these cylindrical rechargeable batteries resemble conventional alkaline AAA batteries, they are less prone to overheating due to their make-up of water-based ingredients such as carbon ink and binder gel.

The carbon footprint from manufacturing each battery is also about 30 per cent smaller than that of a traditional battery.

The capacity of Flint’s batteries is also on a par with popular AAA batteries sold by major competitors such as Panasonic, at around 1,250 milliamp-hours.

The start-up is currently focused on selling its products to businesses, with several, such as consumer electronics firm Logitech, testing the feasibility of Flint’s batteries within its products.

“It’ll take another three more months before the batteries officially go into the market,” said Mr Carlo Charles, who co-founded Flint in 2020.

Pouch cells – batteries as thin as a sheet of paper – are also among Flint’s newest offerings, which are meant to be an alternative to lithium-ion batteries used in devices such as wearables and trackers, which depend on scarce raw materials such as lithium and cobalt.

In June, Flint will be launching its own luggage tag and passport cover that double as trackers powered by these pouch cells.

Robotic hands as dexterous as a human’s

Robots were aplenty on the CES show floor, but Sharpa boasts an autonomous full-body robot North, which has hands as dexterous as a human’s.

These hands, called Wave, are equipped with thousands of tactile sensors in each fingertip, allowing them to detect variables such as texture and force even from something as light as a feather.

“It’s able to detect very subtle changes in force, at differences of 0.005 newton, from zero to three newtons,” said Sharpa go-to-market global vice-president Alicia Veneziani, adding that this allows North to carry out tasks and handle objects precisely.

Each hand is also equipped with 22 degrees of freedom, relatively close to the 27 independent joint motions that human hands have.

This allows the robot to move its fingers laterally, and rotate and stretch its digits, besides bending at the joints.

In a demonstration of its skills on the show floor, the robot took Polaroids of visitors, engaged in countless games of ping-pong, and dealt cards at a blackjack table, further impressing players with its reasoning capabilities.

When assembling a paper windmill, the robot was able to delicately handle paper without creasing it, but also exert the necessary force to set in place a plastic lock.

“For humans to lift a box, we would first use our vision to locate where it is, and position our hands based on factors such as size,” said Ms Veneziani.

“But after we make contact with the box, what you see becomes less relevant – what our hands feel become much more important. We make sense of things like weight and texture to then decide how best to hold the box.

“This whole feedback loop is what we have recreated through our hardware and software.”

The team expects industries such as hospitality to benefit from the newly launched full-body robot, which can take over more mundane tasks such as cutting and cooking large volumes of food.

Mini smartphone with ultra-thin camera lens

After showcasing its ultra-thin metalens – a flat lens that focuses light – at CES 2025, MetaOptics Technologies returned this year to showcase a mini smartphone that will be launched later in 2026.

Founder Mark Thng envisions the device, which is set to be priced between $500 and $1,000, as a lower-cost alternative for a niche market of customers who do not need a larger, expensive smartphone with extensive features, such as young users and the elderly.

The phone will be around 6mm thick, and have no additional bump where its camera lenses are located.

Measuring at around 9cm diagonally, the phone has 5G capabilities and allows users to surf the internet, call and send texts.

However, its compact size would discourage activities such as playing games and scrolling on social media, said Mr Thng.

This could make the phone particularly useful for parents who want a distraction-free phone for their child.

The main objective of this launch is to show customers the possibilities of miniaturisation with metalenses on the phone, said deputy chief executive Aloysius Chua, who added that the firm will also be open to working with tech giants to integrate this technology into mainstream smartphones.

The team is also assessing the feasibility of working in technology from its own mini, portable projector, which would allow the phone to function as a projector without external cables.

Smart dive mask that displays oxygen levels, real-time messages

When attached to a dive mask, this head-up display by Daive will be able to beam essential information such as oxygen levels and water depth onto the inside of the mask.

With a selection of pre-set messages that can be personalised via an app, divers can rotate a knob at the side of the display to be sent to fellow divers at a maximum distance of 10m away.

These messages can include instructions to stay close or ascend together, said founder Cloris Huang.

Having gone on diving trips for two years now, she was inspired to create this display due to how unpredictable the underwater environment can be.

The display has a battery life of about 20 hours. The product has to undergo further waterproofing tests and a crowdfunding round in March before mass production, said Ms Huang.

Crucial for Singapore firms to showcase on a global stage

Of the 30-odd firms from Singapore at CES 2026, nine are participating with the support of Enterprise Singapore. Six of them have booths in the Singapore Pavilion.

On Jan 6, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Finance and Manpower Shawn Huang toured the booths together with representatives from the Singapore Business Federation.

Mr Huang said it is important for firms from Singapore to showcase their capabilities to ensure the Republic has a substantive role to play in driving global innovation.

“Having companies and attendees come to see us also allows us to benchmark ourselves against global competition, and see where we stand,” said Mr Huang.

“Hopefully, we can inspire more Singapore companies to come onboard and be part of this platform.”

Enterprise Singapore has supported around 70 firms in showcasing their products at CES since 2018.

The support includes working with trade associations like the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises to defray the costs of exhibiting, and to connect participating firms with key stakeholders and partners in the North American market.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that six firms from Singapore are at CES 2026 with the support of Enterprise Singapore. This has been corrected to nine.