The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held in Las Vegas caused a wave of interesting new tech announcements, and among the tsunami of new products was Aria, the human-sized AI-powered robot that, according to the company behind it, is designed for "companionship and intimacy."
According to Andrew Kiguel, the CEO of Realbotix, the company behind Aria, the robot is designed to interact with other humans and provide comfort to those who can't find a way to bond with another human. It wasn't long before Aria became sexualized by commenters on the numerous videos floating around social platforms, which sparked an investigation into the company's history.
According to reports, the versions before Aria were in fact, sex dolls, as Realbotix once produced silicone sex dolls that have now evolved into what we can see above. A spokesperson from Realbotix told Futurism the company "no longer produces sex products" and that Aria, in particular, "does not have genitalia" and "is not meant for sex." Realbotix has spent the better part of a year rebranding its products as emotional companions rather than dolls designed for sexual engagement.
"It can be like a romantic partner," Kiguel told Forbes last week. "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."
"Realbotix no longer produces sex products," a spokesperson told Futurism in an email. "Aria does not have genitalia. She is not anatomically correct and has a hard shell body. And is not meant for sex."