AssetID: 56115799
Headline: Incredibly lifelike humanoid robots use AI to mirror real personalities
Caption: BY MARK WORGAN These new humanoid robots may be the most lifelike yet launched, as they have synthetic silicon skin to convey emotions and expressions governed by AI. Canadian company Realbotix says its Echo robots are designed for companionship, education and personal wellbeing. The robots can integrate with popular AI platforms including ChatGPT, Claude and Google's Gemini, allowing users to interact with them through conversational technology. They come with a hefty price tag, however, with prices starting at $11,950 (£8,900) and rising to almost $60,000 (£44,500) for its full-body model. The entry-level Echo Tabletop stands 32 inches (81cm) tall. Weighing approximately 25lbs (11kg), it has 17 degrees of freedom, allowing movement across its articulated structure. Its face and neck are covered in the company's proprietary silicone-based synthetic skin, designed to give the robot a more lifelike appearance. Realbotix is targeting the tabletop model at one-to-one interactions, including education, therapy and personal wellbeing. The more expensive Echo Full Body costs $59,950 and is available in two configurations. The female version measures 72 inches (183cm) tall, while the male version stands 77 inches (196cm). The full-body model has 39 degrees of freedom, supporting more extensive upper-body movement. Its face, neck, forearms, hands and fingers feature the company's synthetic silicone skin. However, neither model offers fully articulated human-like movement throughout the body. Andrew Kiguel, chief executive of Realbotix, said: “Echo robots represent a major step forward in Realbotix’s mission to improve human lives through social robots. We are creating companions that support, educate and care for people in meaningful ways.” Customers will be able to choose between four robotic characters: Aria, Mila, Dave and Amar. Each has a distinct personality, voice and interaction style, with the company developing different personas for educational and wellbeing applications. The robots support more than 100 languages and are designed to respond in the language spoken by the person addressing them. On-device AI processing means the Echo can recognise faces, track eye movements, identify emotional cues and understand aspects of its surroundings in under a second. This means it can recognise returning users, maintain eye contact and respond to people and objects around it. Realbotix also plans to introduce digital AI twins in 2027, allowing customers to interact with their chosen robotic character through a computer, laptop, tablet or mobile phone when away from the physical machine. The digital versions will retain the character's personality, voice, preferences and encrypted memories, according to Realbotix. The company says information will carry across between the digital and physical versions, allowing users to maintain continuity regardless of which device they use. Although customers can purchase the robots outright, their operation and management will require a subscription to Realbotix's Robot Configuration App. Packages start at $19.99 a month, with different tiers offering access to varying AI platforms and features. Realbotix says conversation histories, saved memories and facial recognition data are stored locally on the robot or a paired device and are not uploaded to or shared with the company. It says the information is not used for advertising, analytics or AI model training and can be deleted through the relevant robot or app controls. Reservations for the initial 2027 production run are now open through the company's website.
Keywords: feature,photo,video,robots,realbotix
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