Jules
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Jules is a pioneering humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, renowned for its advanced facial expressiveness and human-like interaction capabilities. Featuring a statistically perfect androgynous face crafted from patented Frubber™ material—a lightweight, skin-like elastomer—Jules employs 34 internal motors to mimic human emotions such as happiness, sadness, surprise, and disgust in real-time. Designed primarily as a disembodied head or upper-torso platform, it demonstrates face tracking, facial recognition, and conversational AI, responding to human expressions via camera eyes and speaking in a British-accented male voice. Commissioned by the University of the West of England and residing at Bristol Robotics Laboratory, Jules innovates with bio-digital interfaces, including fungi-controlled spiking activity for organic-inspired movements. It serves as a research tool for empathetic human-robot interaction, exploring AI companionship for isolated environments like space missions or elder care, blending artistry, engineering, and natural intelligence to bridge biological and robotic realms.
Quick Overview & Key Facts
Jules is a humanoid robot made by Hanson Robotics in China, launched in 2006 and built for human-robot interaction studies, AI companionship, and bio-digital interfaces. Featured in “Hanson Robotics’ Jules Shows How Humanoid Robots Are Being Built for Human Interaction, Not Autonomy”.
- Dimensions
- 30 x 20 x 25
- Weight
- 5
- Mobility
- Legged (bipedal walking)
- Handles
- People interaction
- Battery runtime
- 4
- Charging time
- 2
- Sensors
- RGB cameras, IMU, gyroscope
- Operating environment
- Indoor
What Can Jules Do?
Core operational tasks and activities demonstrated or performed by Jules.
Real-World Applications of Jules
Industries, working environments, and deployment suitability for Jules.
Jules Capabilities
Inherent physical, perceptual, and cognitive abilities built into Jules.
Image Gallery
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Robot Specifications
Values without a Confirmed badge are compiled from public sources and may not be manufacturer-verified.
Not yet published by Hanson Robotics: warranty terms, safety certifications, EMC compliance, IP rating, noise level, expected lifespan, maintenance schedule, firmware version and 7 more.
Robot Timeline
Key milestones in this robot's development and rollout
Hanson Robotics debuts Jules, a lip-syncing expressive humanoid head, at Wired NextFest.
Source: Wikipedia ↗
Latest News About Jules
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Jules vs Joey Chaos, Albert HUBO, Eva and Diego-San
Jules overlaps with these alternatives on Education and training and Research and development; only Jules is tagged for Companion. Jules leads this group on weight but trails on max speed.
Industries and capabilities are tags, not scores: a tick means the robot is listed for it. Green marks the best figure in a row (highest max speed and runtime; lowest weight). Ranges are not ranked.
| Spec | JulesHanson Robotics | Joey ChaosHanson Robotics | Albert HUBOHanson Robotics | EvaHanson Robotics | Diego-SanHanson Robotics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industries | |||||
| Companion | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Education and training | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Research and development | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities | |||||
| Autonomous task execution | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Gesture recognition | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Human-robot interaction | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learning | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Max Speed | 0 m/s | 0.14 m/s | 0.38 m/s | 0.42 m/s | 0.28 m/s |
| Payload | People interaction | People interaction | — | — | — |
| Runtime | 4 | 120 min | 130 h | 4 h | 120 min |
| Weight | 5 kg | 5 kg | 57 kg | 25 kg | 35 kg |
| Released | 2006 | 2007 | 2005 | 2008 | 2010 |
Notes such as conditions or alternate figures are left out and values are shown in common units; open each page for the full specs. Browse all Humanoid Robots
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Q1. What is Jules, and what problem is it designed to solve?
Jules is a humanoid robot head developed by Hanson Robotics to explore empathetic interactions between humans and machines, particularly in mimicking facial expressions and emotions.
Q2. What are the main capabilities and key features of Jules?
Jules features a Frubber skin face with 34 motors for expressing ten human emotions, video camera eyes for recognition, a British-accented voice, and conversational abilities.
Q3. Who is Jules built for, and which industries can benefit from it?
Jules resides at Bristol Robotics Laboratory as a research platform; potential applications include companionship for astronauts or elderly care, according to developers.
Q4. Is Jules a commercial product or still a research prototype?
Jules is a research prototype commissioned by the University of the West of England, housed at Bristol Robotics Laboratory for AI studies.
Q5. Is Jules currently available for purchase, and when is it expected to ship?
As of 2026, Jules remains a research platform with no announced commercial availability or shipping timeline from Hanson Robotics.
Q6. How does Jules actually work in real-world environments?
Jules uses camera eyes to detect human facial expressions, mirrors them via motors under Frubber skin, and engages in verbal interactions with eye contact.
Q7. When was Jules announced or officially launched?
Jules was developed around 2006 by Hanson Robotics as part of early expressive robot research at Bristol Robotics Laboratory.
Q8. How is Jules different from other robots in the same category?
Unlike full-body humanoids like Sophia, Jules is a disembodied head with statistically averaged androgynous features focused on facial empathy mirroring.
Q9. Does Jules require additional development or customization after purchase?
As a research prototype, Jules would require further development for specific applications; it is not available for purchase.
Q10. What is the future roadmap or planned upgrades for Jules?
Hanson Robotics has indicated interest in advancing empathetic robots like Jules for companionship roles, though no specific upgrades are detailed.
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