A Solar Charger Followed Me Around Like a Cute Little Power Puppy

The world of power stations is, by necessity, a dull one. You do not want something very exciting to happen to your giant lithium-ion battery, as that exciting thing normally involves fire. This year at CES 2026, Jackery has managed to make an exciting battery without the dread, simply by putting it on wheels and making it follow you around like a puppy.

The Solar Mars Bot is an autonomous, roving battery backup housing a 5kWh battery and four retractable solar panels that can capture around 300 watts of solar power. What makes this stand out from other solar generators is the wheels. It can move around outside your home, or at the beach or campsite, and track the sun, making sure it's always getting as much sunlight as it can.

I wish this little guy had more USB-C ports, but three outlets is nice.

James Bricknell/CNET

It can also follow you around using clever cameras to track your movement. So wherever you are, it can be ready to supply you with power. Jackery even showed a video of a humanoid robot walking and the Mars Bot following it, presumably to top up the robot with power as needed.

My first look at it showed a well-polished product, though Jackery reps did say the company has no firm date for its release. It will be coming to the US and Europe. Having three AC outlets is great, but I would like to see more USB-C ports. That is the main way we charge most of our peripherals at this point, so having more is always better.

I can see a lot of situations where this little autonomous unit would come in handy. You could use it when you're out camping with family, but it could also have commercial uses -- for example, if you need your power to follow workers around a worksite.