Hanson Robotics Sophia (Sophia)

A robot that wins no weightlifting contest and walks no marathon, yet still stops a room: Hanson Robotics Sophia (Sophia) is built for the moment a person looks at a machine and the machine looks back. Its face, its eye contact and its conversation are the product, and everything else in the design serves them.

The product is available through this page, by quotation.

Background

Sophia is the best-known work of a company that has concentrated on one hard problem: making a robot's face and manner readable to people. Knowing where it comes from helps a buyer judge what it is meant to do.

Hanson Robotics and the lineage of Sophia

Hanson Robotics is a robotics company based in Hong Kong, founded in 2013. Sophia is a female-presenting social humanoid robot that the company developed in 2016. The line includes the 2016 original, Sophia 2020 and Little Sophia. This page is about the product listed as Sophia.

The robot has a human-sized look with an expressive face, patented artificial skin, and a configurable skin tone, facial design, language and arm colors. It is meant to be a presence people respond to, not a machine that merely sits behind a screen.

Positioning and key technology

Sophia is intended for research, education and entertainment. It also helps foster public debate on AI ethics and the potential of robotics. That makes it a platform for showing, teaching and studying interaction, rather than a tool for moving goods or working on a production line.

The Hanson AI SDK controls the robot's AI-based perception, NLP algorithms, open domain chat, non-verbal language, low-level sensory input and actuation controls. Speech comes from CereProc's text-to-speech engine, which also allows the robot to sing. The robot can follow faces, sustain eye contact and recognise individuals. The skin is Frubber, an actuated material, supported by a body of carbon fiber, CNC aluminum, steel and other materials listed in the table below.

Technical Specifications

Specifications as published by the manufacturer; confirmed against the datasheet at quotation.

The manufacturer has not published the battery runtime, the charging time, the IP rating, the operating temperature range, the languages supported, the box contents or the maximum walking speed; they are confirmed at quotation.

What makes Sophia different from an industrial or service humanoid?

Most humanoid robots are sold on what they can carry, climb or repeat. Sophia is sold on how it relates to the person in front of it. Each hand has a payload capacity of 600 grams, so the arms and hands are there mainly for expression and presence.

The degrees of freedom show where the engineering effort went. Of the 83 listed, 36 are in the head and neck, more than the two arms and hands together. That budget is what lets the face and head carry non-verbal language. The Frubber skin, the eye contact and the face-following all aim at the same thing: an exchange that feels like talking to someone.

An industrial humanoid would spend that effort on the legs, the grip and the load. Sophia spends it on the face, which is the right choice for a classroom, a lab or a public stage.

What does the mobile base offer, and how is Sophia powered?

Sophia has three distinct rolling base options, including self-navigation. The mobile base accounts for 14 of the listed degrees of freedom. A base that moves lets the robot be placed on a stage, in an exhibition hall or in a lab without a fixed plinth.

For power, there is a choice of a 110/220-V power supply or a 24-V lithium-polymer battery. Mains power suits a fixed installation, and the battery suits a robot that moves.

Onboard computing is a 3 GHz Intel i7 with 32 GB RAM and an integrated GPU, running Ubuntu Linux. Ethernet and Wi-Fi provide connectivity. An audio localization array and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) complete the sensors listed besides vision.

Who is Sophia for?

Universities and research labs are the clearest fit. A platform that combines perception, open domain chat and non-verbal behavior gives teams a practical subject for human-robot interaction work. Because the software runs on Ubuntu Linux with the Hanson AI SDK, technical teams know the environment they will be working in.

Schools and training centers can use the robot to make AI and robotics concrete for students. A talking, singing, eye-contact-making robot draws attention in a way a slide deck does not.

Museums, science centers, trade-show organizers and venues in the tourism and events trade can use Sophia as a centerpiece. The configurable skin tone, facial design, language and arm colors let the robot be adapted to a setting.

Organizations looking for a robot to lift loads, work in rough conditions or run a production line should look elsewhere. You can browse other equipment in our Shop category.

What is Sophia used for?

1. Research in human-robot interaction. The perception, chat and non-verbal systems give teams a working platform for studying how people respond to a social robot.
2. Teaching AI and robotics. Instructors can show speech, vision and expression working together in one machine.
3. Public demonstrations. The face, eye contact and singing hold an audience at exhibitions and events.
4. Debate on AI ethics. A human-looking robot gives a panel or a classroom something real to discuss.
5. Entertainment appearances. Conversation and song suit stage shows and hosted experiences.
6. Reception and guided conversation. Face recognition and open domain chat make it a talking point at a front desk or an information stand.

Pricing and Availability

No price is shown here, because Sophia is supplied by quotation. Send us your intended use, your venue and your preferred base and power option, and we will prepare a quotation. Delivery, customs and support are arranged with the quotation. The product is available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How tall is Sophia and how much does it weigh?

Sophia stands 167 cm (65.7 in) tall and is 41 cm (16 in) wide. It weighs 20 kg (45 lb).

How is Sophia powered?

It runs from a 110/220-V power supply or a 24-V lithium-polymer battery.

What computer and software does Sophia use?

The computing is a 3 GHz Intel i7 with 32 GB RAM and an integrated GPU, running Ubuntu Linux. The Hanson AI SDK controls perception, language and actuation, and connectivity is Ethernet and Wi-Fi.

Can Sophia recognize people and hold a conversation?

Yes. It can follow faces, sustain eye contact and recognise individuals, and the Hanson AI SDK provides open domain chat. Speech comes from CereProc's text-to-speech engine, which also lets the robot sing.

Can Sophia move around?

Sophia has three distinct rolling base options, including self-navigation.

What is Sophia made of?

The skin is Frubber, an actuated material. The body uses carbon fiber, CNC aluminum, steel, Spectra fiber, Delrin thermoplastic, acrylic, polycarbonate, 3D-printed parts and other mixed media.

Where can I buy Sophia and what does it cost?

You can request a quotation on this page. We do not list prices, and the cost depends on your configuration and delivery needs, so it is given with the quotation.

Summary

Sophia is not measured by what it lifts or how far it travels. It is measured by whether the person opposite feels they are being looked at and listened to. Its 167 cm frame, expressive Frubber face, 83 degrees of freedom weighted toward the head, and Hanson AI SDK serve that goal. For research teams, educators and event organizers who want a robot that people talk to, this page is the starting point.