There were plenty of robots on display at CES 2026 promising to relieve humans of various burdens, from mowing lawns and sucking debris out of pools to folding laundry and vacuuming stairs.

But what about robotic tech that just helps us—actual humans—keep moving?

That’s what I sought last week in Las Vegas, for somewhat selfish reasons: I have multiple sclerosis, and although I have some gait disability, I get around just fine now. But I know that might not be the case in the future, so I hoped to hunt down tech that could preserve my mobility long term.

I pounded across convention floors to the tune of well over 10,000 steps a day, and I found it.

Morning Brew tested several consumer-oriented devices that promise to aid mobility: the Dephy Sidekick, two models from exoskeleton purveyor Dnsys, and one exoskeleton from Ascentiz. The co-founders of all three companies cited similar motivations for their products: Armed with backgrounds in creating medical devices, they wanted to create something that would help a broader cohort of people.

Get more on-the-ground reporting here.—AS

Congress may not agree on whether or not to extend Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies, but they sure do seem to agree on not liking PBMs.

Pharmacy benefit managers got a special shout-out in a recent bipartisan spending deal, which called for overhauling how the system currently works. The bill passed in the House on Jan. 22.

One element of the bill, led by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), would prevent payments to PBMs from drug rebates, something PBMs have been criticized for—and sued over—in the past. Perhaps in anticipation of continued pushback against rebates, Cigna’s PBM Express Scripts also eliminated them last November. Previously, CVS’s Caremark had moved to a cost-based model in December 2023, and UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Rx introduced a similar reimbursement model in March 2025.

Similar reform was included in a prior December 2024 spending bill that fell apart after alleged pressure from then-President-elect Donald Trump and unofficial advisor Elon Musk.

Here’s what the new legislation could mean for PBMs.—NO

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There are 26 million US residents with limited English proficiency, according to health researcher KFF, which also found that people with language barriers are more likely to report physical health as “fair” or “poor” compared to those with English proficiency.

Language services are also in demand, with Kent State University reporting that the language services market size is expected to reach $76.8 billion in 2025 and grow to $98.1 billion by 2028.

Startup No Barrier is using AI to close some of these language gaps. The HIPAA-compliant platform is currently in use at more than 100 healthcare sites across 12 states and can translate in real time into 40+ languages including Spanish, Mandarin, and Arabic, according to the company’s website.

Fresh off a $2.7 million seed funding round on Nov. 17—led by venture capital firms A-Squared Ventures, Esplanade Ventures, Rock Health Capital, and Fusion—CEO and co-founder Eyal Heldenberg spoke with us about how the technology works and his overall goals for the company.

See the full conversation here.—CM