Promobot, the Russian robotics company that created the touchscreen coronavirus robot, showed off its animatronic Terminator-era "Arnold Schwarzenegger" at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. The company promised that "'Arnold Schwarzenegger' will meet your guests, turn on the light and turn the kettle on," but since it doesn't have arms, it can't do these tasks manually. It's a reanimated head that's been equipped with a tablet and voice assistant. You can check out the robot in the tweets below:
Promobot said that the "Robo-C" line of humanoid robots can be customized by the company to look like anyone on Earth, but Arnold Schwarzenegger is not happy about it. Last week, Schwarzenegger's Hollywood attorney, Martin Singer, filed a lawsuit against Promobot, suing them for no less than $10 million for damages. The suit noted that Schwarzenegger was first alerted to his robot when asked to pose next to it in 2019 in St. Petersburg, but he declined the photo-op. According to the lawsuit, Singer sent a cease-and-desist letter when Promobot subsequently brought its robot to CES.
The lawsuit said that Schwarzenegger would have required, at least $30 million to approve placing his face on Robo-C. The suit alleges that Promobot initially agreed to stop using the robot, but then presented it at the New York Toy Fair anyway.
According to Singer, Schwarzenegger previously won over $2.5 million for Priscilla Presley over the use of her name for a film that was never made. "That multimillion dollar judgment was for a plaintiff who is far less recognizable to the public, and far less commercially valuable, than Mr. Schwarzenegger," it stated. "Certainly in a situation such as this, in which you exploited the photograph of one of the most successful and renowned major motion picture stars in the world, without his knowledge or authorization, the damages awarded at trial would be increased exponentially."
Promobot said that its robots can look like any celebrity, but Schwarzenegger's lawsuit may set the preesence for how Promobot moves forward with this line of robots, so the chances of seeing other celebrities depicted without their permission are slim. Here's what the company said about customizing the robot:
"You can order a robot with the appearance of any famous person. Marilyn Monroe will meet guests, William Shakespeare - will tell children fairytales, and Cristiano Ronaldo - will manage the smart home system. It copies human facial expressions: can move its eyes, eyebrows, lips and other 'muscles', and also keep the conversation going and answer questions."
The robot currently costs between $20,000 and $50,000, and it comes with artificial skin. TMZ first reported this news.
Related:Linda Hamilton Says She Wanted Different Look for Sarah Connor in Terminator: Dark Fate
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