On October 26, 2026, TSXV-listed Realbotix, the robotics company best known for the Harmony and Aria companion robots, launched Echo, a humanoid line positioned for "companionship, education and wellness." It opened reservations with a $199 deposit through a redesigned direct-to-consumer site. There are two models. Echo Tabletop costs $11,950: a desktop robot about 32 inches tall and 25 pounds with 17 degrees of freedom, pitched for one-on-one education, therapy and personal wellness. Echo Full Body costs $59,950: about 88–90 pounds with 39 degrees of freedom, at 72 inches in the female version and 77 inches in the male version. Interesting Engineering notes that the joint count gives smooth upper-body motion, not a fully articulated body.

Why It Matters

Echo is the clearest example yet of a company with roots in adult companion robots repackaging that experience for mainstream "companionship." We noted the same direction when Realbotix [put a humanoid in a New York school](/stories/realbotix-school-humanoid-robot). The business model is worth noting. A five-figure device with a mandatory subscription and memory that persists across phone and robot creates recurring revenue. It also makes emotional continuity dependent on the company staying solvent, the exact risk exposed by [Character.ai's bankruptcy](/stories/character-ai-chapter-11-disney). A device that does face and emotion recognition and sends conversations through three outside AI providers also raises the data-protection stakes, especially as US states pass [companion-bot laws](/stories/twelve-state-companion-bot-laws-map). A 250-unit run is a market test, not a volume business. Watch the deposit numbers, the subscription terms, and whether any of Echo's characters ship with adult modes.

Production is deliberately small. The first run is 225 Tabletop and 25 Full Body units, with deliveries in 2027 (Interesting Engineering says the second half). Buyers choose from four characters, Aria, Mila, Dave and Amar, each with its own personality and voice. Silicone-based skin covers the face and neck, and faces, heads and bodies can be swapped separately. Echo connects to models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, speaks 100+ languages and replies in whatever language it's addressed in. Each robot is paired with an online "digital twin" that carries the same character, preferences and encrypted memories, so a conversation started on a phone can continue on the robot. The optional Vinci vision system processes on-device and adds face recognition, emotion-cue detection, gaze tracking and spatial awareness.

The hardware price is only part of the cost. Echo requires a monthly AI subscription in basic and enterprise tiers, and Interesting Engineering reports the Robot Configuration App starts at $19.99 a month. Realbotix also says that when Echo uses external AI, speech or avatar services, the information needed for those features may reach third-party providers. The company receives usage logs but says it cannot directly access conversation content processed by those providers. "By focusing on companionship, education, and wellness, we are creating companions that support, educate, and care for people in meaningful ways," CEO Andrew Kiguel said.

Sources

Update — 2026-10-27

Initial entry — story first created.