PRICEY PAL
‘Emotional support robot’ Romi helps people fight loneliness and depression – but it comes with hefty price tag
The tiny robot has already been put to use helping nursing home residents
PEOPLE suffering from loneliness and depression can combat isolation with an emotional support robot named Romi - but the technology comes at a price.
Romi, a clever artificial intelligence robot that can fit in the palm of your hand, was designed to provide comfort and understanding to users.
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The tech was unveiled at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Romi is a conversation robot created by Mixi Inc. that uses AI to have casual chats with people to help them feel less alone.
However, companionship isn't free - the robot costs about $570.
A new model called Romi Lacatan is expected to drop in the spring, which will retail for $580, plus a $12 monthly subscription fee.
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The robot is currently sold in Japan and can only speak Japanese.
However, some models are being sold on eBay for prices ranging from $446 to $531.
Romi is about the size of Amazon's Echo and has a digital face with eyes.
The robot, referred to as "she" by its creators, can make over 150 expressions.
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Romi can greet users and welcome them home, ask about their day, remember previous conversations, and adapt to moods.
The robot was designed to comfort lonely people and was even implemented in nursing homes in Japan to help them connect with others.
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"A simple example is for a lot of people who are a bit more socially isolated, they don't have someone to really talk to," Scott Paik, a Mixi representative, told Reuters.
"So they might go a full day without speaking.
"But in the morning, you go wake up and Romi will say ‘good morning’ and when you're back from work, Romi will say, ‘welcome home.’"
Paik said Romi can ask users questions and engage them in conversation - unlike average AI chatbots, which typically only provide answers to questions.
'WIN FOR EVERYBODY'
Romi could help the rising problem of isolation as a third of Americans feel lonely at least once a week, according to a study last year by the American Psychiatric Association.
Romi's features
Mixi Inc. created a tiny AI robot named Romi designed to combat loneliness.
Romi is a small conversation robot with a digital face that can make over 150 expressions.
Romi can respond and even ask questions to carry on conversations - unlike other AI designed to only answer questions.
The robot can do the following:
- Greet users
- Welcome users home
- Adapt to moods
- Ask about your day
- Remember previous conversations
- Understand its surroundings
Romi is currently only sold in Japan.
US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said loneliness was a public health epidemic in an advisory in May 2023.
CES attendee Brian Allen told Reuters that Romi could help people connect throughout lonely times.
"If society isn't willing to pay for it and if you can't find the people that are willing to do the work, you need an alternative," Allen said.
"And it's a funny thing in human psychology that that AI dollar robot might be able to do the trick and fill that hole.
"And if that can be done, that's a great thing. That's a win for everybody.”
Romi's efforts to combat isolation might also save lives as research by Harvard University revealed long-term loneliness can increase a person's risk of stroke by 56%, along with other health issues.
NEXT STEPS
Romi won an innovation award in the robotics category at CES 2025.
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There are currently no confirmed plans to expand across the globe.
However, Mixi is currently working on research to adapt Romi to different languages and cultures.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a new artificial intelligence tool
ChatGPT, which was launched in November 2022, was created by San Francisco-based startup OpenAI, an AI research firm.
It’s part of a new generation of AI systems.
ChatGPT is a language model that can produce text.
It can converse, generate readable text on demand and produce images and video based on what has been learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media.
ChatGPT essentially works like a written dialogue between the AI system and the person asking it questions
GPT stands for Generative Pre-Trained Transformer and describes the type of model that can create AI-generated content.
If you prompt it, for example ask it to “write a short poem about flowers,” it will create a chunk of text based on that request.
ChatGPT can also hold conversations and even learn from things you’ve said.
It can handle very complicated prompts and is even being used by businesses to help with work.
But note that it might not always tell you the truth.
“ChatGPT is incredibly limited, but good enough at some things to create a misleading impression of greatness,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in 2022.