It doesn’t seem to be a story, but the costume speaks volume. There is a pride flag stuck on the elbow, a brown cowboy hat above his head, and a flag on his chest that appears to have the name “Rizzbot.”
There’s no further information about the mystical Android, but recently it’s been waves online since it started appearing, not on the streets of West Hollywood. A quick search on social media sites shows a 4-foot tall 70-pound robot doing dance moves, interacting with strangers, and even running on Santa Monica Boulevard on a crosswalk.
And many clips reposted by non-descriptive accounts such as “Clown World”, “YIP”, and “News Now” contain the same details about the origins of Rizzbot.
He is built by China-based Unitree Robotics. He is “AI-driven” and works using “deep reinforcement learning and advanced simulation training.” The company’s website, Unitree.com, is extremely packed with many details about its vast line of robots, with prices ranging from thousands to over $100,000.
“No, it won’t surprise me,” said Michael Ficina, a longtime West Hollywood resident.
He pointed out that cities already have different kinds of robots, such as Waymo’s self-driving cars and Coco robot delivery carts.
“I love it! It’s so West Hollywood!” said Emmik Gonzalez, manager of Zpizza on Santa Monica Boulevard. Nicole Espitia repeated those feelings.
“It was fun to see him dancing and it’s like sharing it with people,” he said.
The mission was accomplished if Unitree used Rizzbot to promote about the robot’s lines. His video of him dressing in gay-friendly clothes went viral, but attempts to interview someone from the NBC4 company failed.
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