Eliza: The $420k AI Companion Robot Bringing AI to Life

It's finally happening. Robots are getting thoughts, ideas, voices, etc. with the aim to be human companions.

If you read my blog on some of the tech that recently debuted at CES 2025, you'll know that the robotic company Old World Labs is starting to work on integrating AI into humanoid robots to increase their perception, accuracy, adaptability, and flexibility—not just for industrial work but for any job or task a person would need or want them for. 

And the first use case is "waking up". 

Old World Labs has worked with Eliza Wakes Up, a project that's bringing advanced artificial intelligence (AI) agents to life to act as companions for humans. Eliza is a girl who stands 5'10", has her own thoughts, feelings, emotional intelligence, and is able to hold a conversation.

Powered by Eliza Wakes Up, ElizaOS, and incubated by Ryze Labs, this personal companion integrates AI, blockchain technology, and advanced robotics into a fully customized humanoid robot.

"We're bringing AI to life in a way that has never been done before," said Ava, Head of Projects, Eliza Wakes Up. "Eliza is designed as a real girl with emotional intelligence, offering human-like companionship. She's more than code and data—Eliza has her own thoughts, feelings, and experiences. Far from being a machine for answering questions, she's a true companion who engages in conversations, shares stories, and builds meaningful connections."

Eliza Wakes Up began as the character and mascot of Eliza Labs' ElizaOS, an open-source, decentralized operating system designed to create personalized and intelligent AI agents. These agents can perform a range of advanced tasks and operate autonomously across multiple digital ecosystems all while maintaining their unique personalities and knowledge.

In collaboration with Old World Labs, Eliza Wakes Up is bringing ElizaOS into human form—think of Eliza as the physical embodiment of AI. Eliza is designed to engage users with natural conversational interactions, dynamic physical abilities, and lifelike facial expressions enabled by a custom silicone animatronic face.

Eliza's physical features include a conversational AI for real-time, in-person interactions that adapt to user inputs over time, a custom silicone animatronic face capable of mirroring human emotions and expressions, audio optimized for immersive and natural speech, and custom-tailored clothing among other things. Additionally, the company stated that Eliza has "force-controlled manipulators to perform activities such as cutting cigars, serving drinks, and even running an 8-minute mile.

"This will be the most advanced humanoid robot ever seen outside a lab," said Matthew Graham, advisor to Eliza Wakes Up and managing partner of Ryze Labs. "We are rapidly approaching a robotics revolution, and Eliza Wakes Up stands at the forefront of this transformation. As the most ambitious project since Sophia the Robot, Eliza is redefining what's possible by seamlessly merging cutting-edge robotics, AI, and blockchain technology. The team isn't just setting a new standard—they're charting the future for how intelligent machines will integrate with and enhance our lives."

Eliza can act as an assistant who can manage your personal schedule, and, a bit more curious, can engage with social media content to automate research, process documents, and execute blockchain transactions.

Pre-orders are underway to purchase Eliza, starting at $420,000. Honestly, prices for next-generation robots span a wide range, costing anywhere from $10,000 to $500,000 and for some, even higher. So this price point isn't crazy given what Eliza's features and intelligence are promising. But I don't think this price point is going to help them take off right away.

This is far from the first companion robot to hit the market. It's just the first companion robot to actually mimic a human in looks and intelligence.

I tried to go to the main URL for the Eliza Wakes Up website, which requires you to sign up, and the sign-up process didn't work for me. I'm finding that aspect odd. However, you can visit elizawakesup.ai/robotics and read about tech specifications, features, and get a glimpse of what Eliza might look like. Though, it's obvious that the "Eliza" on the site is AI-generated at this time. There has not been a photo anywhere of what a real-life Eliza robot looks like yet, so I'm hoping to be able to update this blog at some point with some images.

And while this description definitely seems like a sex robot or intended to be used as a girlfriend, the company has stated that Eliza is not a sex robot and there is code to prevent users from trying to engage with her in that way. And to that, I say...why is it able to be customized? Why is it only a girl? Why not give it a gender-neutral name? Only time will tell how this ends up working out and I hope that Eliza Studios provides more information in the coming months.

Fun Innovations Friday

Created by the editors of New Equipment Digest and Plant Services, Fun Innovations Friday is a feel-good blog that showcases how advances in science, math, engineering, and technology are making our world more whimsical. Here's another post that's guaranteed to brighten your day.

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