Sophia
Sophia is the expressive-face humanoid from Hong Kong's Hanson Robotics, activated in February 2016. It became the first robot granted citizenship (Saudi Arabia, October 2017) and is mainly a media and conference presence.
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We have not sat down with this one. The score below is computed from the data we hold, and the facts on this page are sourced. It is not on sale, so there is nothing to recommend.
How the score is built
Capability is what the machine physically does. Value compares it with others at a similar price, not with the whole market. Buyability asks whether you can really order one. Ecosystem is the software and community around it. Proof is what it has done in the field, which is where most humanoids score badly and should.
- Status
- Commercial
- Category
- entertainment
- First revealed
- March 2016
- Form
- upper-body
- Height
- n/a
- Weight
- n/a
- Payload
- n/a
- Degrees of freedom
- n/a
- Battery
- n/a
- Runtime
- n/a
- Walking speed
- n/a
- Actuation
- electric servos with Frubber skin face
- Units deployed (est.)
- not disclosed
- Teleoperation
- partial
Where it stands
Still touring conferences and media appearances; Hanson has sold small numbers of Sophia units to institutions.
What stands out
- Saudi citizenship, 25 October 2017
- UNDP Innovation Champion, 2017
Autonomy, observed
Facial expression and conversation demos; walking legs added in 2018 were a research add-on.
Dialogue can be scripted or operator assisted.
Hands, sensors, brain
- Hands: articulated hands
- Sensors: cameras in eyes and chest
- AI stack: scripted dialogue plus chatbot; later LLM-based
Price and volume
No public price.
Index position
In the Humanoid Index, which ranks on shipped reality rather than value for money, Sophia sits at #26 of 107 with 46 points: deployment 20/50, autonomy 18/30, availability 8/20. See that method.
Where Sophia works.
| Customer | Site | Sector | Task | Since | Status | Units | Autonomy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conferences, governments and media (various) | Worldwide, including the United Nations in 2017 and the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Hong Kong | entertainment | Scripted and semi scripted conversation on stage, interviews and brand appearances | Mar 2016 | active | n/d | mixed |
Milestones.
Saudi Arabia grants Sophia citizenship
At the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Sophia is declared the first robot to receive citizenship of a country. The stunt draws global media coverage and criticism from AI researchers who call Sophia a puppet.
Hanson Robotics activates Sophia
Hanson Robotics activates Sophia, a humanoid head and torso with a patented skin that shows facial expressions. Sophia debuts at SXSW in March 2016 and becomes the most publicised social humanoid of the decade.
Startups, automakers, universities: who builds humanoids
108 makers, nine kinds. Startups hold 37 of the 44 humanoids you can order. Automakers, universities, big tech, conglomerates and NASA hold 45 robots between them and sell none of them.
The uncanny valley, and why the newest humanoids have no face
Masahiro Mori warned in 1970 that a nearly human face repels. Of the 182 humanoids in our record, four describe one, and none of the four does physical work for a customer.
Other robots by Hanson Robotics.
Sources
- 01Sophia (robot), WikipediaWikipedia
- 02Hanson Robotics Sophia pageHanson Robotics
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