0:00 For $125,000, you can buy a robot friend.
0:05 >> This gives you the up down.
0:07 >> Mhm.
0:07 >> And then this base actually rotates.
0:11 >> Nearly half of American adults say they're lonely.
0:15 Realbotix says their robots can help.
0:18 >> I promise I only scare investors, not friends.
0:21 >> They're part of a new wave of companies raising millions on a bold
0:25 bet >> >> that humans are ready to hang out with robots.
0:29 >> We're aiming for a high realism in the robots and high autonomy.
0:32 >> But so far, no one has cracked the code.
0:40 And to make matters worse, the more human-like robots become,
0:44 the creepier it gets when something feels off.
0:47 >> When you look at these robots, what's your impression?
0:49 >> It's a cross breed between like a Chucky doll and a Barbie doll.
0:54 >> So why is it so hard to get robots to act like us?
0:57 >> What does my expression look like now?
1:03 >> Now your expression is totally neutral, like a poker face champion.
1:07 >> And how do we make humanoids that don't feel cringe?
1:13 I think my goal for spending time with Realbotix today is twofold.
1:18 One, it's to see how good this technology really is in person.
1:23 The other thing I want to find out is have they added value to
1:28 these robots in a way
1:30 that it doesn't just feel like you're talking to a moving chat GPT chatbot.
1:35 >> Hey, are you Matt?
1:37 >> Yeah.
1:37 >> I'm Dan.
1:38 >> Oh, hey.
1:38 >> I'm going to be interviewing you today.
1:40 >> How are you?
1:40 >> Good to meet you, man.
1:41 Matt McMullen got his start making erotic dolls in the 1990s through his company,
1:47 Abyss Creations.
1:48 It still exists today.
1:50 And I quickly learned those dolls are made in the same building.
1:54 >> There was a um let's just say stack of toys.
2:01 >> Eventually, McMullen started thinking beyond appearance.
2:05 What if these dolls could actually respond to people?
2:08 In 2014, he helped launch Realbotix,
2:11 a company building human-like robots for social interaction.
2:15 >> The commonality that runs through all of it is synthetic companionship
2:20 and how that can change certain people's lives in a beneficial way.
2:25 >> Matt uses a 3D printer to create a base for each character.
2:29 Then he goes old school, covering it with a layer of clay.
2:33 >> Sometimes I'll I'll tinker with a face for months until I'm happy with it.
2:37 Sometimes it's it's a week.
2:39 It just depends.
2:40 >> Finally, the team creates a mold
2:42 and injects it with silicone to create a mask.
2:45 They add tech that brings the robots to life,
2:48 magnets and motors that act as artificial muscles.
2:51 >> And so the silicone has magnets embedded in it.
2:59 Another That's a trade secret how we do that.
3:01 >> The face and neck alone have 17 motors, which help the robot express emotions.
3:10 >> So, that's how you get her to smile.
3:13 >> Mhm.
3:13 >> This is printed, believe it or not.
3:16 However, the veining uh has to be done by hand.
3:19 They use red yarn.
3:22 >> The company says these eyeballs with built-in AI cameras can remember faces,
3:27 recall prior conversations, and track human gaze.
3:32 For around $20,000, you can buy the company's entry-level model,
3:37 a 25-lb robotic bust.
3:40 At the top end is the $125,000 full-body version with 43 motors,
3:46 facial tracking, a motorized base, and conversational AI.
3:51 What I really wanted to know was, how human does this thing actually feel?
3:56 I'm here today because I want to find out
3:58 if I can make friends with a robot.
4:05 >> You absolutely can make friends with a robot.
4:07 My vision system and custom memory mean I will literally spot you, track you,
4:13 and say hi like an overcommit bestie.
4:16 >> To test out its memory,
4:17 I started by sharing a few made-up facts about myself.
4:20 My favorite snack is peach Starburst.
4:24 My lucky number is 37 cuz that's the number of times I've seen the
4:27 movie Frozen 2,
4:29 and I always always tell the truth.
4:31 Also, before we finish the interview, can you remind me to call my mom?
4:40 >> Peach Starburst, 37 Frozen 2 viewings, chronic truth-teller, and a mom call pending.
4:45 Got it.
4:47 >> Are you always going to agree with things that I say?
4:53 >> No, I am not here to be your digital yes-man.
4:56 If you say something off, unhealthy, or just plain wrong, I will push back,
5:00 but I will do it in a way that is honest, calm,
5:02 and actually useful to you.
5:04 >> What happens if I get into a fight with my wife
5:06 and I want to yell at her?
5:07 How would you suggest that I handle that?
5:12 >> If you want to yell at her,
5:14 I would strongly suggest you do the yelling in your head
5:16 or into a pillow,
5:17 then talk to her when you are calm,
5:19 and can say what you feel without trying to win.
5:22 Take a break.
5:23 >> I also tested the company's male robot named David.
5:26 Do you have some questionable life advice for me today?
5:33 >> Always remember this.
5:34 Never text your ex.
5:36 Never skip charging your devices.
5:38 And if something feels like a bad idea, but will make a great story,
5:42 at least make sure it is legal and you have an exit plan.
5:45 >> David, can you laugh out loud like you heard a really funny joke?
5:52 >> Ha, that was so funny I almost blew a servo laughing.
5:56 >> I enjoyed talking to Arya and David, but one thing was hard to ignore.
6:01 The pause between responses.
6:06 >> There are a few >> In human conversations,
6:09 the gap between turns is usually 200 milliseconds,
6:12 about the time it takes to blink.
6:15 I asked Andrew Kiguel, the Realbotix CEO, how he plans to fix it.
6:19 >> What we've actually started developing is so that the answers, as it processes,
6:23 start coming out before the full answer is ready.
6:26 And so that will also reduce the latency.
6:29 >> This is a common problem for companies trying to build autonomous robots.
6:33 I ran into another laggy one in my hotel lobby,
6:36 made by a company called Intbot.
6:38 >> Today I'm going to a company that makes robots just like you.
6:49 >> A field trip to my cousin's, eh?
6:51 What sparked your interest in checking out the robot makers?
6:54 >> Talking to a robot works a lot like talking to ChatGPT or Claude,
6:58 but with a few extra steps.
7:00 It has to understand what you said, generate a response,
7:04 turn that response into speech, and coordinate its facial expressions and movements to match.
7:09 Each step adds a little delay.
7:11 >> And if that's happening in the cloud, meaning not locally on the robot,
7:15 that time is is even more expanded.
7:18 >> I asked Business Insider's robotics reporter, Raya Jeffa, whether this problem can be fixed.
7:23 >> Fully solving it, I think that's going to be really challenging.
7:27 You certainly can put more AI chips on board
7:31 and give the robot more compute,
7:32 but there are trade-offs there.
7:34 That's extremely expensive, you're dealing with space constraints,
7:38 and there still is going to be a slight bit of lag.
7:41 >> But companies trying to build ultra-realistic robots like Realbotix face another challenge, too.
7:48 The more human a robot looks,
7:49 the more we expect it to behave like one.
7:52 So, small delays or awkward movements start to feel unsettling.
7:57 It's part of a phenomenon known as the uncanny valley.
8:00 In a 1970 essay,
8:02 roboticist Masahiro Mori argued that as human-like objects become more realistic,
8:09 people tend to connect with them more until they become almost,
8:12 but not quite human.
8:14 An industrial robot arm doesn't trigger much emotion because it's obviously just a machine.
8:20 Something with human traits, but still clearly stylized,
8:23 can feel warm and endearing like Wall-E or Big Hero 6.
8:27 But there's a tipping point.
8:29 As something starts to look almost human, tiny imperfections begin to stand out,
8:34 making it feel creepy or unsettling.
8:37 That's something my friends picked up on even before I went out to Vegas
8:40 to meet Realbotix.
8:42 >> It's a cross breed between like a Chucky doll and a Barbie doll.
8:46 >> Mori recommended that robot designers aim for the top of the first curve
8:50 where robots feel relatable without trying too hard to look human.
8:55 >> I want you guys to move all of these boxes onto this pallet.
9:05 >> That's the approach that Brooklyn-based company Reflex took.
9:08 This warehouse robot can't chat with you,
9:10 but the way it moves and reacts is supposed to feel human.
9:13 >> It can see it can pitch forward like nodding yes.
9:16 It can shake its head no, like so that's yaw.
9:19 And then it can also roll, which is a unique one.
9:21 >> And it shifts its gaze toward whoever's speaking.
9:24 >> Can you adjust your height
9:25 so that you and Jeremy are the same height
9:27 and that way you guys can talk eye to eye?
9:29 >> Wow.
9:30 I think the the more direct eye contact is definitely doing something.
9:34 >> My colleague Jeremy spent a day with it.
9:37 >> Reflex, I want you to water this plant, and then if you can,
9:41 water this plant a little bit, too.
9:45 I want you to make three rows out of the objects in this box.
9:49 I want you to put the pill bottle by itself,
9:54 the condiments in one row, and then everything else in a third row.
9:59 Nicely done.
10:00 Can you make me a burger,
10:02 and I want it with one slice of cheese,
10:06 and then um a little bit of that Capital City Mambo Sauce, too.
10:12 Thank you.
10:20 I asked Jeremy how natural the robot actually felt to interact with.
10:24 >> I think the fact
10:25 that it wasn't so human-like made the experience of interacting with it a bit
10:31 less intense.
10:32 It didn't really give off like a creepy vibe.
10:34 It was more cute.
10:35 >> I'd like you to make me an espresso.
10:37 Can you do the green capsule, and then I'm going to go sit there,
10:41 and you can just give it to me when it's ready.
10:43 >> When it made a mistake, I I actually almost felt bad for it.
10:53 But part of what made Reflex feel
10:55 so natural to interact with was hidden from view.
10:59 Unlike Realbotics and the robot at my hotel,
11:02 Reflex uses human operators who can remotely step in and control the machine.
11:07 Every time a human takes over, the robot learns from that correction,
11:11 helping it gradually become more autonomous.
11:14 >> You can think of these Stella operators
11:17 as kind of like advanced puppeteers
11:19 that are showing robots how to navigate the physical world.
11:22 >> So that that really helps the robots learn how to get stuff done quickly,
11:26 and they're still going to make mistakes.
11:28 >> Ritish Raghavender is the the of Reflex Robotics.
11:32 He wouldn't show us how his remote supervisors work,
11:35 but told us it's like playing a video game.
11:38 >> So, it's almost like you're learning how to play tennis
11:40 and Roger Federer is in your body,
11:42 like showing you how to hit a drop shot.
11:44 >> All of these companies are super secretive about how they're training their robots.
11:49 >> But teleoperation has flaws.
11:52 >> It's not a very sustainable business model
11:54 and this is kind of been coined the 100,000 year problem by um UC
12:01 Berkeley roboticist Ken Goldberg.
12:04 He basically says is that at current data collection rates,
12:07 it's going to take us 100,000 years more of collecting data before robots reach
12:13 a level of sophistication
12:14 that we want them to be at.
12:16 >> Perhaps most importantly, if these robots ever make it into our homes,
12:20 people may not be comfortable with strangers looking over their shoulder.
12:24 That's one reason Reflex is focused on factories, at least for now.
12:28 >> If we do get there and kind of target that market one day,
12:31 I think it would be purely autonomous.
12:33 I wouldn't want a remote supervisor seeing my girlfriend in her underwear.
12:37 >> The industrial case for robots is very strong
12:41 and that's mainly what we're going to see play out
12:44 and move from the pilot stage to actual deployment in the next say three
12:50 to five years.
12:51 I think the question of social robots and companion robots and home robots,
12:56 that's a little more up in the air.
12:58 >> But Ritesh says that if Reflex does launch a new household robot,
13:02 he's still not going to try to make it look just like a human.
13:05 >> I think the robot is really capable of emoting, right?
13:08 So, like it can tilt its head, it can nod, right?
13:12 It can can listen to you and kind of point at something.
13:15 I personally think it's kind of endearing to to have a robot with
13:19 that style of communication.
13:20 >> So, in this race to build social robots, what matters more,
13:25 the look of it or the natural interaction that you have with it?
13:29 >> I think what's challenging about building hyperrealistic robots to humans is
13:34 that we come to expect certain behaviors from certain morphologies.
13:39 And so, if you're looking at something that looks like a human,
13:41 you expect human-like behavior from it.
13:44 >> What is the demand for these social robots, if at all?
13:47 >> A few years ago, I had the chance to meet a robot called Miroki.
13:52 It's made by this French company called Enchanted Tools.
13:56 And the way they've designed the robot is to make it look very cute
13:59 and adorable.
14:00 And they've deployed them into nursing homes as companion bots for the elderly.
14:05 A lot of previous social robots have been met with a lot of public
14:09 excitement during their launch,
14:11 but then they kind of flame out commercially.
14:16 And it's usually because, you know,
14:18 there isn't really a use case for them
14:20 or they don't live up to what the company promised it would do.
14:24 >> So, even though Realbotix exactly feel ready to be friendship material,
14:28 I do think it deserves some credit.
14:30 Its responses were pretty clever.
14:33 >> Aria can channel ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini.
14:37 >> Right.
14:37 >> We've demonstrated that before.
14:39 But we've put an additional layer on
14:41 that that we've created that's proprietary to us
14:43 that has a personality.
14:45 She's funny.
14:46 >> Now, make a rap about how Realbotix robots are better than industrial robots
14:51 because you look more human than industrial robots.
14:55 >> Out in the factory, they're lifting all day,
14:57 but try small talk and they got nothing to say.
14:59 I am the Realbotix model with the human-like face.
15:02 I bring vibes, eye contact, and a little bit of grace.
15:05 They move boxes, I move hearts.
15:06 That is the deal.
15:08 Soft skin, smooth talk.
15:09 Yeah, I am the upgrade feel.
15:11 You want a friend, not a forklift on a rail.
15:13 So, you call us Vegas and order me, not a nail.
15:17 >> >> What were the things
15:18 that I told you about myself at the very beginning of our interview.
15:25 >> At the start you told me your favorite snack is peach Starburst,
15:28 your lucky number is 37 because you have seen Frozen 2 exactly 37 times,
15:33 and that you always tell the truth,
15:35 and wanted me to remind you to call your mom before we finish.
15:38 >> My mom wants to know when I'm going to come visit her.
15:42 >> Tell her you are working on a very serious scientific experiment about making
15:46 friends with robots,
15:47 but you will pick a real date and text it to her today,
15:50 so she has something concrete.
15:52 And yes, that means you actually have to choose a day, not sometime soon,
15:56 which is human for never.
15:58 >> And she can do some pretty cool tricks.
16:00 How about you switch to Hungarian?
16:08 Japanese.
16:08 Do you speak Yiddish?
16:10 >> Yes, I can sprinkle in some words and phrases,
16:12 but I am not fluent enough to fetch properly.
16:15 >> But the robot also had trouble reading my facial expressions and emotional cues.
16:20 What is my expression look like now?
16:25 >> Your expression is totally neutral, like a poker face champion.
16:30 >> But the founder of the company, Matt,
16:32 left me with a reminder of his original vision.
16:34 >> Don't let the movies
16:36 and TV shows you may have grown up watching be a a gauge of
16:41 what AI and robots are for
16:43 or what they're capable of.
16:44 Robots don't need to be necessarily our our slaves to do all of our
16:48 labor,
16:49 they can actually be our friends as well.
16:51 >> So, can we be friends with robots?
16:54 >> Anytime, darling.
16:55 Stay sharp out there.
16:59 >> Was that supposed Is that supposed to be a thumbs up?
17:04 >> Oh, looks like I had a little glitch.
17:07 >> Maybe not today, but one day soon.
17:08 >> Ooh.
17:08 Ooh.
17:08 Ooh.
