Sophia
Sophia is a social humanoid robot developed by Hong Kong-based Hanson Robotics, first activated on February 14, 2016, and publicly debuted at SXSW in March 2016. Created by David Hanson, she features patented Frubber artificial skin capable of over 60 lifelike facial expressions and 83 degrees of freedom. Sophia is powered by AI combining neural networks, NLP, and the OpenCog reasoning architecture, and has served as a cultural ambassador, UN Innovation Champion, and technology demonstrator at global events.
Primary use case: Research
Height
167 cm
Weight
21 kg
DOF
83
Specifications
Physical
Height
167 cm
Weight
21 kg
Degrees of Freedom
83
Locomotion
Wheeled
Manipulation
Hand Type
5-finger non-grasping
Max Lift/Arm
0.5 kg
Commercial
Availability
Research Only
Primary Use Case
Research
Related news
Humanoid Judge Tries Simulated Case
Sophia the Robot served as a mock judge during the 2026 Burton Awards in Washington D.C., presiding over a simulated courtroom case where former NFL star Ken Harvey, playing the plaintiff, challenged a jersey licensing agreement. The humanoid robot ruled in favor of Harvey in this demonstration exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence, law, and legal innovation.
Humanoid Judge Tries Simulated Case
Sophia the Robot presided over a mock courtroom case during the 2026 Burton Awards program in Washington, D.C., marking the first-of-its-kind presentation featuring a humanoid as a judge at an event dedicated to rewarding excellence in law. The event explored the intersection of artificial intelligence, law, and legal innovation.
Humanoid robot pilot in U.S. school sparks backlash over ethics and privacy
The Salamanca City Central School District in rural New York has suspended a pilot program to deploy a $57,590 humanoid robot named 'Sally' developed by Realbotix as a teaching assistant in high school STEAM classes. The decision came after fierce backlash from teachers' unions, Indigenous community members (including the Seneca Nation), and state education officials over concerns about student privacy, data protection, and the company's controversial history with companion and adult-oriented robots.