DEPLOYDatabase

Robot model

Sophia

Sophia is a female-presenting social humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, activated 14 February 2016 and first shown publicly at SXSW in March 2016;…

Track Sophia
Manufacturer
Hanson Robotics
Form factor
humanoid
Maturity
research
Lifecycle
active
Deployments
4

The verified answer

As of Aug 2026, DEPLOY verifies Sophia, a humanoid by Hanson Robotics (research): 4 verified deployments on record. 1 source back the record.

Overview

Sophia is a female-presenting social humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, activated 14 February 2016 and first shown publicly at SXSW in March 2016; known for realistic facial expressions and conversational AI, she was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship in October 2017, the first robot to receive legal personhood.

Verified vs. claimed

Maturity stage
research(Lab-stage only; no commercial or public deployment reported.)
Sources on file
View all sources →

Key facts

Form factor

humanoid

Maker

Hanson Robotics

Activation date

14 February 2016

Citizenship

Saudi Arabian citizenship in October 2017

Specs

Note

granted Saudi citizenship 2017

Class

social humanoid robot

Debut

2016

Data & sources

Web sources

1

1 source backing this record.View all →

Pricing

No verified price is on record for Sophia. Physical-AI systems are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price.

How DEPLOY tracks pricing

Deployments (4)

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Sophia on the deployment map

View the global map

Where Sophia is verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.

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Recent activity

Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.

Full change history →

Safety record

No incidents on record for Sophia.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Sources (1)

  1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_(robot)

Common questions

What is Sophia?
Sophia is a female-presenting social humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics, activated 14 February 2016 and first shown publicly at SXSW in March 2016; known for realistic facial expressions and conversational AI, she was granted Saudi Arabian citizenship in October 2017, the first robot to receive legal personhood.
How much does Sophia cost?
Sophia's price is not publicly disclosed. DEPLOY has no verified price on record for Sophia from Hanson Robotics. Physical-AI systems like this are often sold through enterprise contracts or operated as a service rather than at a public list price; check the manufacturer for the latest.
Is Sophia actually deployed in the real world?
Yes. Sophia is independently verified in real-world operation on the DEPLOY registry, confirmed at named deployment sites with primary sources: not a concept, render, or demo-only.
Who makes Sophia?
Sophia is made by Hanson Robotics, based in Hong Kong, founded in 2013.
Where is Sophia deployed?
4 verified deployments of Sophia are on the DEPLOY registry, including at Dubai, UAE, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, Washington, DC, USA.
Can you buy Sophia?
Sophia is at research stage and is not yet available for sale.
What are alternatives to Sophia?
On the DEPLOY registry, comparable humanoid robots to Sophia include Walker S2, Digit, Apollo, HMND 01 Alpha Wheeled.
How does Sophia compare to Walker S2?
Sophia and Walker S2 (UBTech Robotics · 17 deployments) are both humanoid robots on the DEPLOY registry. Sophia has 4 verified deployments on record. Compare both records for specs, safety, deployments, and verified-vs-claimed autonomy.
Is Sophia a top humanoid?
On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, safety, adoption, media, and IP signals, Sophia ranks in roughly the top 9% of humanoid models tracked by the registry.
What is Sophia's maturity stage?
Sophia is at the research stage on the DEPLOY maturity ladder (research, prototype, pilot, commercial, production). Research stage means active development without commercial deployments on file.
Is Sophia safe?
Sophia has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-06-28

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-06-28

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: research

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: humanoid

Sources by quality tier

1
knowledge-base
Knowledge base

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Sophia.

Recent coverage

Sophia in third-party press

Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni reportedly knew Phia was ‘cookie stuffing’ for months

Aug 11, 2026

Actble and Something Added 3D Print a Pointe Shoe Built to Last Five Times Longer

Aug 1, 2026

Sophia Space and Caltech File Orbital Data Centers Patent

Jul 30, 2026