Key Notes
- Realbotix has opened reservations for Echo robots in four personas, priced at $11,950 for tabletop models and $59,950 for full-body versions.
- Every Echo requires a monthly AI plan, with subscriptions starting at $19.99 for 10 conversation hours and additional charges for the optional Vinci vision hardware.
- The first production run is limited to 250 robots, with delivery expected in the United States in the second half of 2027 and dates subject to change.
A conversation with an AI companion usually ends at the edge of a screen. Realbotix wants to put a face, a voice and an expressive body in the room. Its new Echo humanoid robots pair silicone-based synthetic skin with conversational AI, with support for ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini.
The company announced Echo on October 26 and has opened reservations for two versions: an $11,950 tabletop robot and a $59,950 full-body model. The initial production run comprises 225 tabletop units and 25 full-body robots, with deliveries expected in the second half of 2027. For now, buyers are reserving a future product rather than ordering a robot ready to ship.
Four Characters, With a Physical Presence
Customers can choose Aria, Mila, Dave or Amar, each with a different appearance, voice and personality. The tabletop version has 17 degrees of freedom, while the full-body configuration has 39 and adds articulated upper-body movement. Those specifications describe the robot’s mechanical movement; they do not establish that Echo can handle the household chores associated with general-purpose humanoids.
Realbotix is selling the experience of interaction. Its product site pitches applications in companionship, education, wellness and hospitality, where facial expressions and a recognizable character could make a conversation feel more immediate. Whether that presence produces lasting benefits will depend on how the robots perform with customers, rather than how convincingly they look human in a demonstration.
That is a different hardware bet from an app such as Tolan, which builds familiarity through a character and recurring conversations on a phone. Echo asks buyers to pay for that interaction to occupy physical space. The proposition is personal attention and continuity, with a substantially higher entry price.
The Robot’s Price Is Only Part of the Cost
Every Echo requires a monthly AI subscription. The current pricing page lists a $19.99 Base plan with 10 conversation hours a month, a $39.99 Plus plan with 40 hours and a $199 Enterprise plan with 100 hours. These allowances are measured in time spent conversing with the robot, so the starting subscription is not an unlimited companion plan.
Realbotix says Echo supports the major AI platforms, but the available features vary by subscription. Its privacy policy identifies OpenAI as the default response provider and says customers can request Anthropic’s Claude or Google’s Gemini. Connecting a customer’s own AI models is separately listed as an Enterprise feature; the company’s materials do not establish that every provider and capability is included at the lowest price.
An optional Vinci vision upgrade adds another $24,950 to the hardware bill. Realbotix markets it for recognizing faces, tracking gaze and responding to visual cues, with on-device processing. Its Enterprise with Vision subscription costs $199 a month and lists unlimited conversation time, but requires Vinci hardware. The camera-based features are therefore a substantial additional purchase.
A $199 deposit reserves a place in the initial batch and counts toward the purchase price. According to the FAQ, availability is limited to the United States and delivery dates are estimates. The company says deposits are otherwise non-refundable if it remains able to deliver, making the distinction between a reservation and a finished product relevant to early buyers.
A Familiar Face Does Not Make Every Conversation Local
Realbotix’s privacy policy says conversation histories and saved memories remain on Echo or its paired device, rather than being stored or reviewed by Realbotix. It also makes a separate point: generating responses can require live processing by external AI providers. Locally stored history should therefore not be confused with a guarantee that conversation content never leaves the device.
The policy says OpenAI processes responses under a zero data retention arrangement, while customers choosing another provider are subject to that provider’s terms. Vinci’s facial data is stored locally, according to Realbotix. These distinctions matter for a device designed to invite recurring, potentially personal conversations in a home or workplace.
The wider AI-companion debate already concerns trust and attachment to software characters. Echo adds a body to that relationship, along with maintenance, subscription and delivery expectations. Its first commercial test will be whether a consistent, useful conversation makes that physical presence worth paying for when the robots reach customers.
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