Tennis Robots Now Watch And React. The Ball Launcher Is Dead. The Category Jump Is Real, Obviously.

IFA 2026's fitness tech ranged from smart rings and screenless bands to sleep tech and exoskeletons, with no single wearable announcement dominating the show. Tennis and racket-sport machines have evolved from simple ball launchers with apps into devices that can watch, react, analyze, and simulate parts of an actual rally. A connected strength system with digital resistance, a large display, coaching, and performance analysis also featured prominently. Withings notably launched neither a new ScanWatch nor a smart scale at this year's event.

This demonstrates the transition from passive equipment to reactive systems, what we might call the agency shift. The mechanism is real-time perception combined with adaptive response: the device does not merely execute a preset program but observes your behavior and alters its output accordingly. The mental model to retain is that AI's most disruptive category will not be new screens. It will be old tools that suddenly gain the ability to pay attention.

Withings attended IFA 2026 but launched no new ScanWatch or smart scale, a notable absence. Multiple tennis and racket-sport machine manufacturers showed devices capable of watching, reacting, analyzing, and simulating rally segments. The connected strength system with digital resistance and coaching was also highlighted.