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AI Agent ElizaOS Is Getting a Robot Body—But It's Not For Sex

source-logo  decrypt.co 3 h

Popular AI agent ElizaOS is getting a robot body, but the creators of the robot emphasize it is not to be used for sex.

Instead, it is designed to be a humanoid AI companion that builds deep connections with humans by exhibiting emotional intelligence, empathy, and through performing tasks.

“Eliza Wakes Up is designed as the next-generation humanoid AI companion,” Ava, Head of Projects for Eliza Wakes Up, told Decrypt. “Eliza offers lifelike emotional intelligence, dynamic physical abilities, and task execution that ranges from personal scheduling to handling complex operations like blockchain transactions.”

The creators of the humanoid robot envision Eliza will become a “productivity partner” for individuals, while businesses could use the robot as a replacement for customer-facing employees. Eliza Wakes Up is in the “advanced stages” of development for its robot, opening pre-orders for Eliza at a price point of $420,000.

Yours. pic.twitter.com/cNBmAWiLpC

— ELIZA STUDIOS (@eliza_studios) January 15, 2025

This announcement comes just a week after the internet got horny for ElizaOS, following a sex toy integrating the AI agent into its product. Known as Orifice, the product translated thrust and penetration measurements into readable messages that ElizaOS would then respond to.

But, the creators explained, the Eliza robot is categorically not to be used for sex.

“Eliza is to foster meaningful, human-like companionship without crossing into sexual territories.” Ava explained, “To prevent misuse, the hardware and software are configured with safeguards, which makes it difficult to use the robot for unintended purposes.”

Matthew Graham, Advisor to Eliza Wakes Up and managing partner of Ryze Labs, explained that he believes the robot can help people struggling to adapt to a hyper-digital world. As such, Graham sees the robot as a continuation of what AI companion chatbots like Replika have started. But it’s worth mentioning the app has its own struggles trying to prevent users from having sex with its product.

“It's not that there's anything necessarily wrong with this, or any kind of sex. It's just that that's not really what the focus of this project is,” Graham explained. “It's about filling a very real need for companionship that, in our view, is really one of the most untapped psychological needs in the world today.”

Eliza, the robot. Image: Eliza Wakes Up

Built in collaboration with Old World Labs, a robotics company founded in 2012, Eliza is set to stand at 5 foot 10 inches tall with a custom silicone animatronic face, modelled on the image of Eliza that fans of the agent know and love. Its creators claim Eliza’s face will be capable of conveying realistic human emotions and expressions. On top of this, Eliza Wakes Up claims the robot will be capable of performing a range of physical tasks from cutting cigars and serving drinks to running a mile in 8-minutes.

“She’s going to be the most beautiful, most technologically advanced robot to leave a lab, then we’re adding voice to voice communication, the full capabilities of the ElizaOS framework, and ElizaWakesUp’s charm,” Ava told Decrypt. “There’s been nothing like her before.”

“This will be the most advanced humanoid robot ever seen outside a lab,” Graham added.

Eliza Wakes Up claims that a series of videos documenting the robot’s development will begin to roll out in collaboration with Old World Labs. Decrypt has not yet been given access to any footage of the robot in action. That said, it was confirmed to Decrypt that the Unitree H1 will be used as the base for Eliza, which Unitree claims has broken the full-size humanoid speed world record at 3.3 meters per second.

Those that pre-order the Eliza robot for $420,000 will be offered customization options, such as personalized clothing and accessories, with first production units expected to be delivered in “mid 2025.”

ElizaOS, the open-source framework that will power the robot, has been, in part, funded by meme coins rallying behind the project—such as the ai16z (AI16Z) token that peaked at a market cap of $2.6 billion.

The Eliza robot will be no different. It’s linked to a Solana token Eliza (ELIZA), which has already hit a $94 million market cap at the time of writing. This token is set to facilitate transactions processed by the robot, drive community governance, and unlock premium features.

This is just the beginning for the Eliza Wakes Up ecosystem, with the team eyeing up other hardware products at a more affordable price.

Edited by Stacy Elliott.

decrypt.co