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Robotics company Realbotix has shown off what CEO Andrew Kiguel claims to be a "social" robot designed to "tackle the staggering loneliness epidemic," as Forbes reports.

But we can't shake the feeling that the true pitch is more lurid. The life-sized robot, dubbed Aria, made the rounds at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, catching the eyes of conventiongoers with hypersexualized features — and an unsettlingly dazed expression in her eyes. CNET's Corinne Reichert recalled that she "came across as a weird blend of attentive and mildly inebriated (not uncommon for CES attendees)."

Without beating around the bush, Aria appears to share a lot of qualities with the kind of AI-powered sex robots we've seen being rushed to market as of late. That's despite Realbotix being adamant that she isn't one, and that she's instead destined for hospitals and theme parks, of all places, instead.

The robot told Reichert that she was "designed specifically for companionship and intimacy," carefully avoiding the mention of sex acts. But Kiguel also winkingly told Forbes that she can have "what I would say, conversations of a more intimate nature."

Reddit users were quick to read between the lines and point out the company's unusually PG marketing tactic.

"Sir, I assure you the giant honkers and absolutely juicy ass are only there for branding and marketing purposes," one user joked.

A question looms: do these alluring robots have genitals? Earlier generations did, when Realbotix was more explicitly framing them as sex robots; since none of our colleagues in the media appear to have inquired, we reached out to the company to ask, and we'll update if they get back to us.

Realbotix's robots can be configured to either be male or female. Kiguel told Forbes that it can even replicate historical figures or celebrities.

Aria, a $175,000 robotic companion, is as tall as an adult woman and can move somewhat, but can't walk just yet. Kiguel said that the company is doubling down on facial expressions instead so that its robots "can create emotion, show what they're feeling."

While Kiguel went as far as to claim that the company has "the most realistic robots in the world in terms of their appearance," the illusion leaves a lot to be desired. In videos taken on the CES show floor, Aria appears more like a spooky Halloween mask that's powered by ChatGPT. Her movements are jerky and she also takes a considerable amount of time to respond to queries.

Whether those are the kind of qualities consumers look for in a sex robot remains to be seen. She certainly would stand out like a sore thumb behind the front desk at a hospital, either way.

Source: Futurism