*Update – after publishing this post this morning I discovered that Realbotix have agreed to be bought by biotech company Oneconetix.
Realbotix, no longer focusing on building a sex robot for the masses, are showcasing their more conservative humanoid creation “Melody” at a major Bitcoin conference taking place in Los Angeles. The fact was highlighted by Interesting Engineering, which pointed out that Melody has “39 degrees of Freedom” – all of it above the waist. These always fully-clothed robots from Realbotix are intended for interacting with the public at venues such as conferences, theme parks, and airports. However, Realbotix haven’t disowned their sex robot past, and are still officially in the business of making AI companion robots, including for the home.
The M-series shows a shift from digital screens to physical, lifelike AI interfaces. The series is a full-bodied modular robot designed for versatility, offering extensive upper-body mobility with 39 degrees of freedom while remaining stationary below the waist.
Interestingly, the platform is highly customizable — available in male, female, or bespoke configurations — and can be set up in seated, standing, or desktop positions.
Despite its sophisticated capabilities, the robot is built for portability. As an interactive greeter, Melody shows how smart AI can turn boring service kiosks into friendly, lifelike conversations.
Designed for high-traffic service roles, the modular robot features reconfigurable faces and body panels for rapid character swaps. Moreover, the M-Series features plug-and-play connectivity, enabling it to run all day from standard electrical sockets without battery constraints.
Despite the coverage by Interesting Engineering, it’s not clear if Realbotix are presenting anything new at the three-day Bitcoin conference, which ends today (Wednesday April 29th). I haven’t managed to find any videos online yet, but previous videos of Melody and the other Realbotix robots have shown them displaying some quite fluid and expressive arm and hand movement.
Unlike the many companies – many of them Chinese – attempting to build humanoid robots to replace human labour, Realbotix are all about building expressive and human-like androids that can cross the uncanny valley. However, they still have enough Chinese rivals to compete with in this more niche space. One of them is “AheadForm”, who have the same mission as Realbotix to create “embodied intelligence—where interaction feels intuitive, emotional, and human.” They may be ahead of Realbotix too, at least in terms of the beauty and expressiveness of the head – as seen in the recently released video below.
As the top comment from a YouTuber says: “We are almost there boys. Keep working hard“.
