Social & companion robotShipping
Intuition Robotics ElliQ
The companion robot that actually shipped — and got Medicaid to pay for it.
We haven't tested this machine hands-on, so this profile carries no rating — every fact below traces to the sources at the end, and the judgments are clearly ours. Full methodology on the Robot Tracker.
At a glance
- Status
- ShippingReal units delivered to paying customers
- Can you buy it?
- Yes
- Price
- $249 one-time + $39–59/mo membership (lease model)
- Form factor
- Tabletop social robot
- AI brain
- Proprietary proactive-AI agent (LLM-backed)
- Maker
- Intuition Robotics (Israel / US)
- Backing
- Private (Intuition Robotics, founded 2016)
While humanoid makers demo backflips, ElliQ quietly became the most deployed companion robot in America. It isn't humanoid at all — a lamp-like tabletop device with an expressive animated 'head' — but it does the job this whole category promises: proactive daily check-ins, conversation, wellness nudges, and connection for older adults living alone. Thousands are deployed across the US, mostly through healthcare providers and aging agencies, at $249 up-front plus a $39–59/month membership.
The March 2026 milestone matters beyond ElliQ itself: Washington state approved it as a Medicaid-reimbursable 'Smart Care Device' — the first formal state reimbursement model for an AI companion, with case managers prescribing it into care plans. For a category dogged by hype, that's the strongest legitimacy signal any companion robot has earned.
ElliQ in pictures
Images are the manufacturers' own press and product photography, shown here for identification and review, and credited to the rights holder.
Watch ElliQ
▶ElliQ — the sidekick for healthier, happier agingWhat's real
- • Actually shipping at consumer prices for years — thousands deployed across the US
- • The category's first Medicaid reimbursement pathway (Washington state, 2026) — institutional validation no rival has
- • Proactive by design: it initiates conversations and wellness routines rather than waiting for commands
- • Lease model includes lifetime warranty, updates, and support — honest about being a service
Know before you watch (or buy)
- • It's a subscription forever: stop paying and the device goes back — you never own ElliQ
- • Purpose-built for older adults; if you want a general home assistant or chore robot, this isn't it
- • Stationary and screen-adjacent — closer to a very good proactive smart display than to the robots in sci-fi
The evidence
Thousands deployed across the US via healthcare providers and aging agencies; approved as a Washington state Medicaid 'Smart Care Device' (Mar 2026).
Sources: Intuition Robotics · The Robot Report
What changed on ElliQ's own pages
Nothing yet. We re-crawl the maker's own price and product pages and record anything that moves — a price, a ship date, a caveat appearing or disappearing. We've been watching since 2026-07-12and this maker hasn't changed those pages since.
We report what changed and when, with the page it changed on. We don't speculate about why.
Bottom line
The least flashy robot on this site and arguably the most proven companion: real users, real deployments, and a government reimbursement precedent. For an older adult living alone, it's the one robot here we'd point a family toward today.
FAQ
How much does ElliQ cost?
A one-time $249 lease-initiation fee plus a membership: $59/month billed monthly, $49/month billed annually, or $39/month on a 24-month plan. The membership covers the device lease, shipping, setup support, updates, and an unlimited warranty. In Washington state, eligible Medicaid recipients can receive ElliQ fully covered as a Smart Care Device.
Does ElliQ actually help with loneliness?
It's designed for exactly that — proactive check-ins, conversation, cognitive engagement, and health routines for older adults — and it's deployed with thousands of users, largely through healthcare and aging agencies. Independent long-term efficacy research is still thin, as with all AI companions, but its state Medicaid approval followed real pilot programs.