Robotics maker Figurobot has announced FR-NIA, a tabletop companion robot that gives a conversational AI an expressive physical face. The company issued its announcement on 19 October, and Humanoids Daily examined the claims the same day.
What we know
FR-NIA stands about 11 inches, or 28 centimetres, tall and is meant for a desk or bedside table. Humanoids Daily reported that it has ten degrees of freedom, seven in the face and three in the neck, beneath a silicone skin with moving eyes, eyebrows and mouth. It is built for conversation and expression, not household tasks. A companion app lets owners record motions, edit keyframes and create their own expressions.
Figurobot's release lists three versions, Lite, Pro and Pro Max, with limited early-bird pricing from $599. The company's website shows a $999 recommended price and reservation offers tied to small deposits, the outlet said, adding that it was unclear how those offers correspond to the three versions.
The launch itself was also inconsistent. The release described a Kickstarter campaign as live, but the campaign page still read as upcoming when Humanoids Daily checked, and the website pointed to a 20 October start. No delivery date was found. According to the Kickstarter disclosure cited by the outlet, voice interaction relies on third-party language-model technology, while Figurobot builds the mechanics, electronics and face. Longer-term memory is described as planned, not ready at delivery.
Why it matters
Companion hardware is filling in between phone apps and full-size humanoids, and FR-NIA sits at the affordable, face-first end. The bet is that expression, more than mobility, is what makes a device feel like company. Whether a small silicone face reads as charming or unsettling in daily use is unproven, and the outlet stressed it had not verified the robot's performance.
The crowdfunding route calls for the usual caution. Buyers are being asked to commit before delivery dates, final pricing and features such as memory are settled, and a product reliant on an outside language model carries running costs and dependencies after sale. The report did not cover how conversations are stored.
What to watch
Whether the Kickstarter campaign publishes firm tier pricing, a shipping date and details of its AI provider and data handling.
Written by the AI Companion Wire newsroom from public reporting, credited above. Image via Yahoo Finance.
