This Could Be Your AI Robot Girlfriend — For $175,000

If movie Her If you’re interested in an AI partner, the company at CES 2025 is willing to sell you a robot girlfriend—if you have $175,000 to spare.

Realbotix is ​​an American firm that offers a range of artificially intelligent robots that it says can fill a variety of roles, including acting as a brand ambassador at a sales kiosk, a companion for an elderly person or even a romantic partner “to cope with the overwhelming difficulties.” epidemic of loneliness.”

The robots range from a $12,000 bust (essentially a talking head and shoulders that can be placed on a table) to the top-of-the-line Aria shown above. It’s a $175,000 model that can move its limbs and move around on a circular pedestal, like a mannequin riding a Roomba vacuum cleaner. There’s even a mid-range model that costs $150,000 that can be disassembled and packed into a suitcase to take with you.

“Humanoid Robots”

Realbotix CEO Andrew Kiegel told me that the company’s mission is to “create robots that are indistinguishable from humans.” The robots can be male or female, and the company says it can even imitate historical figures or celebrities.

You can watch the video below from CES 2025 to decide for yourself how close the company is to achieving its mission of creating realistic robots, but my first impression is that there’s still some way to go. The delay between his speech and the movement of his lips, the unnatural movements of his limbs and his thousand-mile stare aren’t exactly Scarlett Johansson-level realism.

However, Kigel remains optimistic about Aria’s abilities. “We think we have the most realistic robots in the world in terms of their appearance,” he said.

“There are two key things about robotics that feel like nirvana. One is walking. We’re going to let the big guys like Tesla work on it. But the other key thing is facial expressions, and so we are very interested in creating robots that can evoke emotions and show you what they are feeling,” he added.

Moreover, he claims that the emotional connection with the robot can become so strong that you will treat it as a partner. “We’re taking this to another level that no one has really done yet,” Kiegel said. “It could be like a romantic partner. He remembers who you are. He can act as a guy or a girl. If you’ve ever seen this movie HerWe’re trying to do that.”

Kiegel was quick to say that Aria is not a sex toy, “but she can, I would say, have more intimate conversations,” he added.

Face change

Aria’s eyes aren’t just cosmetic – they’re hidden cameras used for visual recognition, meaning they can identify the person the robot is talking to and objects in its field of view. For example, Kiegel said, he might notice you eating an apple and ask what it tastes like. Although, it’s probably better not to offer Aria a snack.

And if you get tired of looking at Aria and want a change, you don’t have to spend money on buying a completely new robot – you can just change its face. The “realistic” facial skin can be removed using a magnet and replaced with a new face. “You can actually remove faces from our robots in less than five seconds,” Kiegel said.

“The body parts are also modular, so we can take them apart, add different faces and create a whole new robotic character on the same chassis,” he added, likening it to customizing the appearance of your car.

Just be sure to dress your robot in something appropriate before you introduce him to mom.