Personal Companions

Buying advice

Ask how long the maker will patch it

A companion robot stays useful only while its maker keeps the servers running and the software patched. Under the UK's product security regime for connectable products, makers must publish a minimum security update period with an end date, avoid easily guessed default passwords, and give you a way to report security flaws. Ask for that end date before buying, and set it against how long you expect the robot to stay in the family. Older designs on this page, such as the Anki Vector, Furby Connect and Kuri Home Robot, deserve a direct question about who runs their online services today.

Treat claims about reading feelings with care

Many companions are sold on the idea that they notice your mood. A 2026 systematic review in Frontiers in Robotics and AI found that only 16.7% of the emotion-recognition studies it examined reported real-time testing on robot hardware, so treat mood-reading as a feature still being proven. If you plan to use a robot at work or in a classroom, the EU AI Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, prohibits AI systems that infer emotions in workplaces and education settings, with narrow medical and safety exceptions. Ask the maker whether such features can be switched off, and what the robot records when they run.

Separating collectables from everyday companions

On the October 2026 review, the Chippies was the lowest-priced listing here at about $30, while the Buddy topped the page at about $1,699, and one listing asked for a quote instead. The products themselves differ widely: Robosen's Buzz Lightyear and Grimlock are collectables, Zoomer Kitty and Furby Connect are toys, and robots such as Buddy are meant to share the home. Decide first whether you want entertainment, a desk companion or company for someone who spends long hours alone. If loneliness is the reason, the WHO Commission on Social Connection treats it as a health issue, so use the robot alongside regular human contact rather than in place of it.

What to look for

• What it does day to day: conversation, games, photos or smart-home control
• Whether it needs an app, an account or a subscription to keep working
• Camera and microphone controls, and how its data is stored

Common questions

Do companion robots need Wi-Fi?

Most do, for voice features, updates and their companion apps. Some offer limited play offline. Check each listing if the robot will live somewhere without a reliable connection.

How is a companion robot different from a smart speaker?

A smart speaker answers questions. A companion robot adds a physical presence: it moves, reacts to touch and attention, and often shows expressions on a face or screen.

Sources and further reading

• Emotion recognition and human-robot interaction: a systematic review of methods and applications — Frontiers in Robotics and AI.
  Review of 60 studies on robots that read emotions, finding few were tested in real time on robot hardware.
• The UK Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure (Product Security) regime — Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (GOV.UK).
  UK rules for connectable products: no guessable default passwords, a way to report flaws and a published update period.
• Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act) — European Union (EUR-Lex).
  EU AI law; it bans emotion recognition at work and in education and requires AI that talks to people to say so.