Would you swap your real-life pet for an AI-powered alternative? Meet Sirius the robot dog and decide for yourself

• Meet Sirius, an AI-based programmable and customizable robotic dog companion
• You can train Sirius to perform tricks and upload different voice packs
• Its available worldwide, with pre-orders starting today

From early sci-fi heroes like K9 in Dr Who, or Muffit in the original Battlestar Galactica, robot dogs have long been a staple of TV and films, but despite the predictions of every futurist from the last 30 to 50 years, household robots or robot pets still haven’t become commonplace in 2025, unless you count the best robot vacuum cleaners.

The history of robo-dogs goes back a long way. Sony was one of the first companies to really get into making robot dogs with its Aibo range, which was first released in 1999 in Japan, but, while still for sale ($2,899.99!), seems to have gone quiet of late.

There have been others since then, like the Minted Dog-E, but with all the advancements in AI that are going on at the moment, it seems inevitable that intelligent robotic dogs would be making a comeback.

The latest robo dog to try to nuzzle its way into our lives is Sirius, from Hengbot. Sirius is an AI-based programmable and customizable robotic dog designed to become your faithful digital pal.

Emotionally intelligent

It’s the AI that really makes Sirius different from previous robo dogs. Described as "emotionally intelligent”, Sirius has its own personality and can mimic the movements of real dogs like jumping, stretching, and even dancing.

Sirius can handle voice recognition, natural language processing, and image recognition. It can even understand your gestures. You can teach it tricks, sync gestures with voice commands, and even upload custom facial expressions.

At roughly 10 inches tall, Sirius is about the size of a chihuahua. It’s not too heavy either, with a 1KG frame constructed from aerospace-grade alloy for fast, responsive actions. Inside its AI brain, Sirius has up to 5 TOPS of edge computing power and comes with USB-C peripheral expansion and a powerful 2250mAh battery that offers a promised 40-to-60 minutes of play time.

A new robotic species

“With Sirius, we didn’t just build a robot, we created the first of a new kind of robotic species,” said Peiheng Song, CEO at Hengbot. “Powered by our Neurocore system, Sirius marks the start of a growing universe of intelligent, customizable robots designed to bring your imagination to life.”

Sirius is designed to be easy to customize and program, whether you’re a curious kid, first-time robot owner, or a tech-savvy developer.

It utilizes a game-like visual editor that you can use to choreograph dance routines, teach Sirius custom tricks, or train, with no coding required.

What do you think? Is Sirius the sort of robot you'd be happy to have roaming around your home? Let us know in the comments below.

Sirius is now available for pre-order at Hengbot.com with a basic model starting at $1299 with free worldwide shipping. General availability is expected in Fall 2025.

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