Realbotix Launches Echo, a Line of Lifelike Companion Humanoids Starting at $11,950

A Robot Companion You Can Reserve Today

On October 26, robotics company Realbotix launched Echo, a new line of humanoid robots designed as companions. Two versions are offered: a tabletop model for $11,950 and a full-body upper-torso model for $59,950.

Customers can reserve one with a $199 deposit. Realbotix says the first run is limited to 250 units, 225 tabletop and 25 full-body, with deliveries planned for the second half of 2027.

Faces Built to Feel Familiar

What sets Echo apart is its face. Realbotix covers the face and neck in silicone-based synthetic skin and gives the robot detailed facial expressions, so that it looks and reacts more like a person than a typical machine.

The company offers four characters with their own personalities and voices, named Aria, Mila, Dave and Amar. Each can speak with a user in more than 100 languages and reply in whatever language it hears.

Two Sizes, Very Different Machines

The tabletop Echo stands about 32 inches tall, weighs roughly 25 pounds and has 17 degrees of freedom, a measure of how many separate ways it can move. It is aimed at uses such as education, therapy and personal wellness.

The full-body version is far larger. The female model stands 72 inches tall and the male model 77 inches, each weighing about 88 pounds and offering 39 degrees of freedom in the upper body. Neither has a fully articulated human body, so neither can walk.

How the Conversation Works

Echo uses large AI language models to hold conversations, with subscription tiers that connect it to services such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini. In plain terms, the robot's talking ability comes from the same kind of software behind popular chatbots.

An optional system called Vinci adds on-device computer vision, covering facial recognition, gaze tracking and the reading of emotional cues. Realbotix claims it responds in under a second when processing locally, a figure that independent testers have yet to confirm.

Privacy Questions Come With the Territory

A robot that watches faces and remembers conversations raises obvious privacy questions. Realbotix says conversation histories, saved memories and facial-recognition data stay on the robot or on a paired device, and that the company neither receives nor reviews them.

There is a catch. Cloud features may send required information to outside AI, speech or avatar providers, and Realbotix says it receives only service-usage logs. Buyers will need to weigh which features they switch on.

The Real Cost Is a Subscription

The sticker price is only the beginning. A software subscription is mandatory, with plans for the robot's configuration app starting at $19.99 a month, so owning an Echo means paying a recurring fee.

Organizations that order at least 10 units can ask for volume pricing. Realbotix also plans digital AI twins in 2027, which would let subscribers talk to their chosen character on a computer, tablet or phone.

Companion Robots Meet a Skeptical Public

Companion robots are a niche inside a field better known for warehouse and factory machines. They appeal to people who want conversation, company or practice speaking, but they also invite debate over attachment, loneliness and data use.

Echo is, for now, a product announcement with deliveries still about a year away. How well it performs, and whether buyers accept the monthly fees, will only become clear once real units reach homes and classrooms.