Little Sophia: The 'Chibi' and Programmable Version of the Sophia Robot

The news traveled the globe in record time: Saudi Arabia granted citizenship to a humanoid robot named Sophia, designed by Hanson Robotics. The announcement was surprising and controversial on many levels, but it revived a possibility thoroughly explored in science fiction: robots living with humans. Would you like to be a pioneer in that regard? Then you can get Little Sophia, her younger sister. Besides being a mini companion, Little Sophia also serves as a development platform, with a programmable and highly hackable profile.

The search for smarter and more "real" robots continues. We recently examined its main limitations in the sensorimotor field, and experts definitely have their hands full. However, it is inevitable that many of the advances will reach the general market (even if in a reduced form). Today's toy robots far surpass the old plastic totems with lights that went "brrr-brrr" and devoured D batteries. There is also another positive aspect of modern versions: their value as a learning system. Many of these robots are programmable, ensuring a very healthy exposure to code. That said, which is the most complete robot? The people at Hanson Robotics believe the answer lies in Little Sophia.

Little Sophia: Sing, Walk, and Learn

If the name Hanson Robotics sounds familiar, it's because they've been here before. Setting aside the presentation of Sophia (as ambassador and citizen), this is the same company that revealed Han in 2015. As its name suggests, Little Sophia is Sophia in a small package. It measures 35.5 centimeters tall, and can talk, sing, walk, play, and tell jokes. Now, the idea is that Little Sophia doesn't become a simple "Barbie with capacitors." Hanson Robotics will include several tutorials in its AI Academy to program Little Sophia, using basic-level languages (Blockly) or advanced ones (Python), though nothing suggests it will be limited to just those environments.

Instead of launching Little Sophia directly, Hanson Robotics decided to follow the crowdfunding route and turn the mini robot into a Kickstarter project. With more than $125,000 raised, the company has already exceeded its original goal of $75,000, and I imagine we’ll soon see additional announcements. If you're interested in acquiring Little Sophia, you'll need to pay $149 for her, or enter the "Buy One, Give One" program, where you buy one unit for $199 and donate another to a STEM institution. The first deliveries are scheduled for December.

Little Sophia on Kickstarter: Click here