# Hengbot Sirius review

Chihuahua sized AI robot dog with LLM voice, made for tinkerers

- Our score: not scored yet
- Price: n/a (checked n/a)
- Status: preorder
- Best for: developers who want a cheap legged robot to program
- Skip if: you want a durable pet robot for kids
- HTML version: https://robotsforthat.com/robot/hengbot-sirius/

## Verdict

Sirius is a lively, open source robot dog with real AI hardware for well under the price of most legged robots. Both hands on reviewers found it falls over often, needs Wi-Fi for voice and feels more like a developer experiment than a pet. Skip it if you want a robust companion for kids or a dog that follows you around.

## Pros

- Expressive, dog like movement from 14 actuators
- Open source with PC control and community routines
- Camera with owner face recognition
- Small and light at about 1 kg

## Cons

- Falls over often and struggles to get up
- About 45 minutes per charge and no dock
- Voice needs Wi-Fi and cloud AI
- No US store price confirmed; sold mainly through Kickstarter

## Specs

- type: Four legged robot dog with a 1.8 in LCD face; PRO and EDU versions
- interaction: Voice commands with the wake word Hey Sirius, game controller, PC remote control, on screen face menu; dances, sits and plays soccer (Gizmodo, TechRadar, CNX Software)
- ai features: Cloud LLM voice features; TechRadar says it uses Amazon's LLMs, CNET reported OpenAI integration. Needs Wi-Fi for voice, with no on device voice processing (Gizmodo)
- camera: 8 MP camera up to 1080p in the snout; recognizes and tracks its owner's face but does not follow you around (CNX Software, Gizmodo)
- mobility: 14 DoF: 3 per leg and 2 in the head (CNX Software, TechRadar). Both reviewers saw it fall over often
- compute: Quad core Arm Cortex-A53 with a 5 TOPS AI accelerator (CNX Software)
- battery runtime: 2250 mAh, 40 to 60 minutes active (CNX Software); TechRadar was told 45 minutes
- charge time: 50 to 60 minutes with the included 30W USB-C PD adapter (CNX Software); no self charging dock
- size weight: 270 x 150 x 250 mm (290 mm with tail), about 1 kg (CNX Software)
- subscription: Not published
- age range: Not published; TechRadar found it not kid friendly and it has no IP rating

## Safety

- recalls: Not checked
- fcc: Not checked
- company status: Active; crowdfunded startup with Kickstarter units shipping to backers

## Questions buyers ask

### How long does the battery last?

Hengbot's specs say 40 to 60 minutes of activity on a 2250 mAh battery; TechRadar was told about 45 minutes. A full charge takes about an hour over USB-C.

### Does it work without internet?

Basic moves and controller play do, but voice commands need Wi-Fi because speech is processed in the cloud (Gizmodo).

### Is it good for kids?

TechRadar did not find it kid friendly. It falls often and has no water resistance rating.

## Sources

1. [TechRadar: hands on with Hengbot Sirius](https://www.techradar.com/computing/i-went-hands-on-with-hengbot-sirius-an-ai-robot-that-left-me-wanting-more)
2. [Gizmodo Japan: Sirius review](https://www.gizmodo.jp/article/sirius-review/)
3. [CNX Software: Hengbot Sirius specs and Kickstarter pricing](https://www.cnx-software.com/2025/08/04/hengbot-sirius-is-a-trainable-ai-robotic-dog-for-consumers-and-developers/)
4. [EFTM: robot dogs at CES 2026](https://eftm.com/2026/01/who-wouldnt-want-a-robot-dog-more-fun-at-ces-2026-270549/amp)