Social & companion robotShipping
GROOVE X LOVOT 3.0
The robot designed to need you — shipping since 2019.
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
- ¥577,500 (~$3,800) + required plan from ¥9,900/mo (~$65)
- Form factor
- Wheeled emotional-companion robot
- AI brain
- In-house emotional-behavior AI (50+ sensors, thermal 'body heat')
- Maker
- GROOVE X (Japan)
- Backing
- Private (GROOVE X, Tokyo)
LOVOT inverts the entire robotics industry's pitch: it does nothing useful, on purpose. GROOVE X's warm-bodied, penguin-sized companion exists solely to be held, to recognize you, to get jealous, to demand attention — 'a little troublesome, a little needy, but heartwarming,' as the company puts it. It's been shipping in Japan since 2019, now in its third generation (¥577,500, about $3,800, plus a required 'living cost' plan from ¥9,900 a month), with limited-edition colors selling as pre-orders at ¥699,600.
The economics are the honest story: the monthly plan covers software, memory/personality backup, and maintenance (biennial 'LOVOT dock' checkups, servo replacements) — living with one costs serious money over years. But as evidence that people will pay durably for emotional robotics, nothing else comes close: LOVOT owners hold funerals-adjacent attachment levels, and GROOVE X publishes retention stats most subscription apps would envy.
What's real
- • Seven years of real shipping product — the longest-running proof that emotional companion robots are a business
- • Genuinely sophisticated attachment engineering: warmth, gaze, memory of people, evolving 'personality'
- • Transparent, published pricing for hardware, subscription, and maintenance — rare honesty in this category
Know before you watch (or buy)
- • Deliberately useless: no chores, no assistant features — it's a relationship, not a tool
- • Total cost of ownership is steep: ~$3,800 up-front plus ~$65+/month, with periodic maintenance packages on top
- • Japan-market product: buying, servicing, and language support outside Japan range from hard to impractical
The evidence
Shipping in Japan since 2019, now on generation 3.0 with 2026 limited editions; detailed published pricing and ongoing support commitments.
Sources: GROOVE X · PR Times / GROOVE X
Bottom line
The most emotionally honest product in robotics — it promises nothing but companionship and delivers exactly that. If the question is 'will people pay monthly for a robot that just loves them?', LOVOT answered it years before the AI-companion boom: yes.
FAQ
How much does a LOVOT cost?
LOVOT 3.0 is ¥577,500 (about $3,800) up-front — or ¥10,980/month on 60-month installments — plus a required monthly 'living cost' plan starting at ¥9,900 (~$65) covering software, data backup, and care. Periodic maintenance (a 'LOVOT dock' roughly every two years, servo packs every four) costs extra. It's a long-term commitment, priced like one.
Can I buy a LOVOT outside Japan?
Practically, it's difficult. LOVOT is sold and supported for the Japanese market; importing one means Japanese-language software, no local service network, and maintenance that requires sending the robot back. International buyers should treat it as an import project, not a purchase.