Robotics company Realbotix LLC has long struggled to beat the allegations that its voluptuous humanoid robots are designed with prurient interests in mind.
Its $175,000 robotic companion, dubbed Aria, is platinum blonde, well-endowed, and tends to be decked out in tight-fitted sportswear at tech conventions. Yet the company has insisted she’s not a sex doll, leading to plenty of incredulity online.
Adding to the drama is the company’s corporate structure: Realbotix LLC is owned by Realbotix Corp, which also owns Intima LLC — a venture that holds an ownership stake in Realdoll, one of the best-known manufacturers of sex robots.
Those eyebrow-raising optics burst into view this month when, as New York Focus reports, the Salamanca City Central School District in western New York announced plans to deploy one of Realbotix LLC’s humanoid robots, dubbed Sally, in the classroom. The AI-enabled robot would reportedly serve as a teaching assistant for high school students enrolled in STEM and arts courses.
It’s hard not to see the company’s sex robot roots in Sally’s visage. The $57,000 android has smooth silicone skin, a dazed expression on her face, and an ill-fitting wig made of long brown hair. But after this story was first published, an attorney representing Realbotix reached out to emphasize what he said was a total divide between Realbotix LLC and Intima LLC.
“Realbotix Corp is a holding company with two separately operated businesses: Realbotix LLC, which focuses on AI-powered humanoid robotics for commercial service sector applications, and Intima LLC, which focuses on direct-to-consumer products,” the attorney said, in a statement echoing a press release the company issued last week. “Realbotix LLC and Intima LLC have different product offerings with no crossover. As a holding company, Realbotix Corp does not in itself have business operations but is responsible for managing capital markets, shareholders, listing requirements and accounting needs. The two subsidiaries maintain their own management, personnel, payroll, facilities, manufacturing operations, product development, and market strategies.”
“Realbotix LLC does not design, manufacture, or sell adult products,” the statement continued. “No Intima LLC or RealDoll employees, contractors, products, inventory, blueprints or technology are involved in Realbotix LLC’s design, engineering, manufacturing, deployment, or customer support whatsoever. All education, healthcare, wellness, and enterprise initiatives are conducted exclusively through Realbotix LLC. Realbotix LLC and Intima LLC are different legal entities that are independently operated. The two entities do not share employees, products, inventory, manufacturing resources, or technology.”
Also after this story was first published, the Salamanca City Central School District announced that it was putting the deployment on hold after feedback from the community.
Prior to that reversal, district superintendent Mark Beehler told New York Focus that he was willing to give up banning AI in the classroom since “students will find a way around most rules that schools put in place.”
“I also believe it is critical for schools to teach proper use of technology, not simply exclude it,” he said.
Sally’s onboard AI can be used to generate lessons, provide translations in real-time in over 100 languages, and provide human teachers with guidance if a “teacher loses their place during a lesson or needs a prompt on what comes next,” according to New York Focus.
To us, that sounds like a pretty cynical take on the future of education. Teachers are already facing a major uphill battle thanks to the advent of the tech, with students suffering from declining cognitive abilities.
Of course, Realbotix LLC argues that it’s done its homework. Instead of hallucinating facts, a major shortcoming of the tech that makes it arguably unfit for most classroom use, Sally will allegedly say “I don’t know.” The company also said its robot won’t be directly connected to the internet to keep highly sensitive information about students from prying eyes.
Still, it’s a bizarre investment for the school district that comes at a particularly tough time for human educators. The reality is that teachers across the country are woefully underpaid. There’s a massive shortage of instructors, with tens of thousands of teacher positions going unfilled.
In a press release, the Salamanca City Central School District stressed that the “Realbotix educational robot will never replace teachers, staff members, or meaningful human interaction.”
But whether Sally will actually serve as “another instructional tool that educators can use to engage students, reinforce classroom learning, and spark curiosity about emerging technologies,” remains to be seen — especially considering its steep price tag and lascivious origins.
Updated to clarify the relationship between Realbotix Corp, Realbotix LLC, and Intima LLC.
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