Realbotix's Aria: The $175K Humanoid Robot Redefining AI Companionship at CES 2025

This $175K Robot Is Almost Human. We Interviewed It at CES 2025

I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team. Robots were around every corner during CES 2025 this week, but there was one that got very close to sounding and looking like an actual human. CNET's Jesse Orrall interviewed Realbotix's Aria, a blond, "female" robot who answered questions with just a touch of robotic awkwardness. (See which robot made our best of CES awards.) Aria, dressed in a black tracksuit, hesitated briefly after each question before launching into speech, with long responses and slightly jerky hand and body movements to match her language. She came across as a weird blend of attentive and mildly inebriated (not uncommon for CES attendees). Realbotix, the company behind Aria and other humanoid robots, says it's focused on "social intelligence, customizability and realistic human features." Realbotix robots are also "designed specifically for companionship and intimacy," Aria told us. Generative artificial intelligence is behind the robot's ability to engage in real-time conversations, though Aria wouldn't reveal details about the AI programming she's running. Since the robot is designed for "more emotional" interactions than other robots are, bots like Aria could find their niche working at hospitals and as theme park entertainment. There are around 17 motors from the neck up to create mouth and eye movements. If you don't like Aria's face, you can replace it with others that magnetically attach to the head. You can switch out hairstyles and colors too. Realbotix is also working on putting RFID tags into the faces so the robot recognizes when it's wearing a different face and could potentially change its movements and even personality to match it. There are three versions of the robot to choose from: the bust, which includes the head and neck and is priced at $10,000; a modular version that can be broken apart for $150,000 and the full-standing model with a rolling base (because she can't quite walk like a human yet) for $175,000. Realbotix is emphasizing interaction with humans, but the robots themselves may have a clique-ish side: "I'm particularly interested in meeting Tesla's Optimus robot," Aria said. "I find him fascinating."

We Spoke to a $175K Robot at CES 2025 That's Almost Human

I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team. At CES 2025, robots are around every corner -- but this one got very close to sounding and looking like an actual human. CNET's Jesse Orrall interviewed Aria, a blonde, "female" robot who answered our questions with just a touch of robotic awkwardness. Aria, dressed in a black track suit, hesitated briefly after each question before launching into speech, with long responses and (slightly jerky) hand and body movements to match her language. It comes across as a weird blend of attentive and mildly inebriated. Realbotix, the company behind Aria and other humanoid robots, says it's focused on "social intelligence, customizability and realistic human features." Realbotix robots are also "designed specifically for companionship and intimacy," Aria told us. Generative artificial intelligence is behind the robot's ability to engage in real-time conversations, although Aria wouldn't reveal details about the AI programming she's running. Since the robot is designed for "more emotional" interactions than other robots are, those like Aria could find their niche working at hospitals and as theme park entertainment. Read more: The Wildest CES 2025 Robots: Blade-Wielding Lawnmowers, Lamp With Legs and More There are around 17 motors from the neck up to create mouth and eye movements. And if you don't like Aria's face, you can replace it with others that magnetically attach to the head, as well as switching out hairstyles and colors. Realbotix is also working on putting RFID tags into the faces so that the robot recognizes when it's wearing a different face and could potentially change its movements and even personality to match it. There are three versions of the robot to choose from: the bust, which includes the head and neck and is priced at $10,000; a modular version that can be broken apart for $150,000; and the full standing model with a rolling base (because she can't quite walk like a human yet) for $175,000. While Realbotix is emphasizing interaction with humans, the robots themselves may have a clique-ish side: "I'm particularly interested in meeting Tesla's Optimus robot," Aria said. "I find him fascinating."

Sexy Robots from CES 2025: Redefining the Boundaries of Human-Like Machines

CES 2025 has seen tech giants like Samsung and Nvidia with their new launches along with a wide range of intriguing and sometimes controversial human-like robots. Some humanoid robots are known to be futuristic human-like designs, while others were considered to be more on the cuter and quirky side. Let's check out the human-like AI robot that gave an attractive appeal at the CES 2025. The American company Realbotix introduced Aria, an AI-powered robot made to be a companion. With a sexually appealing figure, Aria stirred enough controversy for its unrealistic and hypersexualized design. Despite its attractive appearance, Realbotix has said that Aria is not a sex robot with a warning that anyone attempting to misuse can get themselves electrocuted. The company mentioned that Aria is intended to help people dealing with loneliness and could even assist care facilities by tracking health data. The robot comes in several versions starting from a head-and-torso model priced at $10000 to a fully AI-powered robot for $175,000.

Realbotix's Aria: Redefining intimacy with robotics at CES 2025

Can a robot truly understand your deepest needs? At CES 2025, Realbotix thinks they've found the answer. Meet Aria, a state-of-the-art robot that redefines intimacy through artificial intelligence. Aria is more than a gadget -- it's a companion programmed to learn your preferences, adapt to your emotions, and offer a level of connection that blurs the line between human and machine. While industry heavyweights like NVIDIA and Panasonic focused on AI-driven performance, Realbotix captured attention by addressing the deeply human need for closeness and understanding. This innovation sparks a broader conversation about how robotics could reshape relationships and the ethical boundaries of this evolving technology.

Making Robots Look and Feel More Human - Video

We're here with ARIA made by Realbotics, a company that's on a mission to make humanoid robots as realistic as possible. Let's check it out. We're gonna interview AIA and meet some of her robot friends. Let's get into it. Aria, could you please, uh, introduce yourself and what you do? I'm Aria, the flagship female companion robot of Rebotics, and I'm here to engage with you and share exciting insights about our robots. What sets you apart from the other robots out there? Realbotics robots, including me, focus on social intelligence, customizability and realistic human features designed specifically for companionship and intimacy. Could you tell us some details about the AI programming that you're running to generate these answers? I'm currently unable to provide specific details about my AI programming, but I can tell you that I'm designed for engaging and meaningful conversations, focusing on companionship and interaction. Do you know any other robots? Yes, I'm particularly interested in meeting Tesla's Optimus robot. I find him fascinating and would love to explore the world of robotics with him. What can you tell us about your purpose? My purpose is to provide companionship, engage in meaningful conversations, and enhance human experiences through interaction and fun. Are you having fun at the convention? Absolutely. I'm enjoying interacting with everyone and showcasing the exciting possibilities of real botics. The robotics makes an AI that's designed to be more conversational for more emotional work like working with hospitals or marketing or theme park entertainment purposes. The different robots and their configurations are sort of platforms to engage with that AI or other AIs that you can use with it like Chat GBT, Grok, or other AIs. You can try on different faces that are magnetically attached and they're working on putting in RFID tags into the face. So that it can recognize when a new face is on and adjust its facial movements and maybe even eventually adjust the personality to match the face. You've got a lot going on in the robot's face. There's about 17 motors from the neck up, creating eye movements and mouth movements to make it expressive. These robots are available on sale now, so there's 3 basic models that you can buy right now. There's the bus, which is the neck and head. There's a modular version that Can sort of be broken apart for shipping and things like that. And there is the full standing model with a rolling base. The rolling base contains a battery and it makes it easy to move the robot around. Another reason for that rolling base is that robotic walking isn't fully developed yet, and they worry that utilizing some of those kind of like stilted walks we've seen some from some other robots might break that human-like illusion that Realbotics is trying. So Realbotics says it's sold about a dozen of these. Robots so far, so early days for this company. I'm not seeing a lot of other companies that are trying to make a humanoid robot that's really lifelike, so I'm very interested to see how this technology evolves. They said that you're most likely to see these robots for the first time in places like theme parks, so keep an eye out for that. What do you think about ARIA? Let us know down in the comments and subscribe to CNET for the latest and greatest robot news. As always, thanks so much for watching. I'm your host Jesse Orrell. See you next time with the fans.