It seems as though every year puts us further into one of the science-fiction futures depicted in so many classic films. Now, if we weren’t overwhelmed enough with the application if artificial intelligence, a real-life robot girlfriend powered by AI has been unveiled in Las Vegas.
The robot, named Aria, was unveiled by Realbotix at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas earlier this month. Aria is just one of many new robots being developed by the company, with various purposes being explored, with Aria herself being used “to tackle the staggering loneliness epidemic” as shared by Forbes.
In addition to the various robots available, the company appears to have created different variations of different costs for each model. For example, a robotic bust that consists of the head and shoulders of a robot companion would be $12,000. A mid-range model could be purchased for $150,000 that allows for easy transportability like packing the machine in a suitcase.
Aria herself, a full-body robot, costs a total $175,000 with her movement restricted to a circular plinth described by Forbes as “a mannequin riding a Roomba vacuum cleaner.” Perhaps the next exploration of this new wave of technology should be the mobility of such machines. Realbotix CEO Andrew Kiguel seems to have such goals in mind, adding that they want to “create robots that are indistinguishable from humans.”
He then tackles the challenge of getting the robots to walk, which he believes Tesla will handle, but that they’ve accomplished other avenues in robotics like adding lifelike facial expressions and appearances.
“We think we have the most realistic robots in the world in terms of their appearance,” he began. “There are two key things in robotics that are kind of like the nirvana. One is walking. We’re going to let the big guys like Tesla work on that. But the other key piece is facial expressions, and so we’re really keen on making robots that can create emotion, show you what they’re feeling,” Kiguel continued.
Kiguel adds that they really want their robots to be taken seriously as romantic partners:
“We’re taking it to a different level that nobody else is really doing,” said Kiguel. “It can be like a romantic partner. It remembers who you are. It can act as a boyfriend or girlfriend. If you ever saw that movie Her, we’re trying to do that.”
A video of Aria, who can operate as an AI-powered girlfriend, can be viewed below:
While Aria herself isn’t designed for sex, she is said to offer “what I would say, conversations of a more intimate nature,” according to Kiguel. Additionally, they have designed their robots to have swappable faces. As such, if you’re tired of Aria’s face, you can simply switch it with a different option.
It’s certainly an interesting direction for our recent innovations in artificial intelligence and robotics. While it isn’t exactly up to par with some of our most iconic sci-fi movies, it certainly is a step forward for better or worse.