Do any of these companion robots work without a subscription?

EMO's exploration and face recognition run without a paid plan, per the manufacturer. Vector 2.0's voice commands get no response without an active membership, and Poketomo's conversation is capped the same way. Purobot's cleaning cycle runs free of charge, though extended video history needs a paid plan.

Which of these recognizes individual people or pets automatically?

All four. Vector and Poketomo recognize a registered face locally, EMO distinguishes up to 10 people by face and sound, and a veterinary hands-on review found Purobot attributes litter-box visits to a specific cat using its camera and weight sensor, with no manual tagging required.

Has Vector 2.0's cloud service actually stayed reliable?

Not continuously. The manufacturer promised in 2019 to keep the servers running so owners would not have to worry, but owner forums document voice commands going unanswered starting in 2023, and Pennsylvania's Attorney General sued the company in 2024 over unfulfilled orders and refund requests. The manufacturer restored server access in November 2024, and previously affected owners have reported voice commands working again since.

Does EMO keep camera photos off the cloud?

Photos do, per the manufacturer and its user-community forum; they stay on the robot unless an owner shares one through the app. Voice commands are a separate path: after the wake word, Living.AI still sends a short audio clip to its own servers for interpretation.

Do any of these robots complete a task without a person?

Purobot Max Pro 2 does: its cleaning cycle runs automatically after a cat leaves the box. Poketomo, Vector and EMO move, react and recognize faces on their own, but every conversation, game or diary entry still starts when a person initiates it.

Comparisons · Specialty Robots4 robots · checked 25 Oct 2026

Claims against testing

Do companion robots live up to their marketing claims?

Each maker names something its robot does. This page sets those claims beside what a paid plan, an internet connection and hands-on reviews show.

This page checks

Paid planWhether the main job works with no plan
RecognitionWho each robot says it recognizes, and what reviews found
InternetWhat keeps running with no connection
A job done aloneWhether it finishes anything without a person

Digital Dream Labs

Vector 2.0

IIAssistedLimited

$199.99list

Where to buy

Amazon

Sep 2024Pennsylvania sues Digital Dream Labs over unfulfilled Vector 2.0 orders

Living.AI

EMO

IIAssistedLimited

$279list

Where to buy

Amazon

Apr 2023Firmware 2.2.0 adds ChatGPT conversation and AI portrait drawing

PetKit

Purobot Max Pro 2

IIAssistedCapable

$599.99list

Where to buy

Manufacturer Amazon

Sep 2025PetKit introduces Purobot Max Pro 2 with wider entry and AI health camera

Sharp

Poketomo

IIAssistedLimited

$259list

Sold in Japan only. No US seller found; Japanese-language.

Jul 2026Sharp launches Poketomo in Taiwan on July 1, 2026, its first market outside Japan

Full specifications11 figures on record · 7 differ

Figure

Vector 2.0

EMO

Purobot Max Pro 2

Poketomo

List price

Vector 2.0$199.99

EMO$279

Purobot Max Pro 2$599.99

Poketomo$259

Released

Vector 2.0Not on record

EMONot on record

Purobot Max Pro 2Sep 2025

PoketomoAug 2025

Navigation

Vector 2.0Tabletop obstacle and edge avoidance using a time-of-flight distance sensor, an infrared laser scanner, and cliff sensors; self-docks to its charger

EMOBounded desktop-area exploration using a time-of-flight distance sensor and 4 optical drop sensors for edge avoidance; self-docks to a magnetic Home Station

Purobot Max Pro 2None (stationary enclosure; no locomotion)

PoketomoNone (stationary companion; does not move through space)

Weight

Vector 2.00.35 lb

EMO0.54 lb

Purobot Max Pro 224.3 lb

Poketomo0.43 lb

Runtime

Vector 2.0Not on record

EMO240 min

Purobot Max Pro 2Not on record

PoketomoNot on record

Charge time

Vector 2.0Not on record

EMONot on record

Purobot Max Pro 2Not on record

Poketomo100 min

Battery type

Vector 2.0Li-ion

EMOLi-ion

Purobot Max Pro 2Li-ion

PoketomoNot on record

Noise

Vector 2.0Not on record

EMONot on record

Purobot Max Pro 235 dB

PoketomoNot on record

Connectivity

Vector 2.0Not on record

EMOWi-Fi, Bluetooth

Purobot Max Pro 2Wi-Fi

PoketomoWi-Fi, Bluetooth

Size

Vector 2.02.4 × 3.9 × 2.7 in

EMO3.7 × 2.6 × 4.6 in

Purobot Max Pro 225.9 × 21.2 × 23.7 in

Poketomo4.6 in tall

Camera

Vector 2.02MP with facial recognition, 120 degree field of view

EMONot on record

Purobot Max Pro 21080p HD, 210-degree field of view, IPX5 rated

PoketomoNot on record

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Claim by claim

What each companion robot promises, and what it needs to deliver

Poketomo's talking and Vector's voice and AI need a paid plan. EMO lists no plan. PetKit's cleaning stays free, and only its 30-day video history needs Care+. Only the litter box finishes a physical job, and hands-on reviews found its cat recognition hit or miss.

Digital Dream LabsLiving.AIPetKitSharp

Vector 2.0

EMO

Purobot Max Pro 2

Poketomo

Does the main job work with no paid plan?

Green means yes. Plan prices are each maker's own.

Vector 2.0: $11.99a monthVoice and AI need a planWithout it: no "Hey Vector" voice, no ChatGPT or Claude. Alexa commands and self-driven behavior stay. $99.99 a year.Digital Dream Labs support article
EMO: None listedplanNo plan listedMaker pages list no plan. A hands-on review says ChatGPT conversation is included, with internet needed.Living.AI product pages
Purobot Max Pro 2: Care+for video historyCleaning free, video paidCleaning, live view and basic tracking stay free. 30-day video history needs Care+ after a free trial. Price not printed.PetKit product page
Poketomo: ¥495–¥3,300a monthTalking needs a planMaker calls a plan mandatory to talk and keep memory. Normal plan caps talks at 400 a month, then stops until reset.Sharp COCORO STORE, Japan

Who it says it recognizes

The count each maker gives

Vector 2.0: No count foundPage says the new 2MP camera improves face and pet recognition and smile detection. Maker FAQ: face data stays on the robot.Digital Dream Labs product page and privacy FAQ
EMO: 10peopleMaker page: remembers family members, up to 10 people.Living.AI product page
Purobot Max Pro 2: 15catsMaker: facial recognition plus weight sensors tell cats apart.PetKit product page
Poketomo: 1personMaker FAQ, as of Dec 2025: face recognition covers one user only.Poketomo site FAQ

What hands-on reviews found

Reviews that tested the recognition claim itself

Vector 2.0: No recognition test foundOne hands-on review lists face recognition as a feature without describing a test.Hands-on review, Jun 2026
EMO: No recognition test foundOne hands-on review repeats the 10-person figure without testing it.Hands-on review, Sep 2026
Purobot Max Pro 2: Face match: hit or miss

Needs the cat to face the side camera

Similar-weight cats log near-identical weights

2 hands-on reviews, 2026
Poketomo: No hands-on test foundSearched Japanese product pages and one launch article.Searched, no test found

What runs with no internet

Green means the main job keeps running offline

Vector 2.0: Voice and AI use the cloudMaker says voice features use the cloud. Without a plan it runs, but not connected to the Vector cloud.Digital Dream Labs product page and privacy FAQ
EMO: Advanced AI needs internetHands-on review: advanced AI needs the cloud and 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi only, so fully offline use is not possible.Hands-on review, Sep 2026
Purobot Max Pro 2: Cleans without a networkMaker says it cleans from preset settings with no connection. App usage data stops updating while offline.PetKit product page
Poketomo: Wi-Fi requiredMaker says an internet connection is required to use it.Sharp COCORO STORE, Japan

Does it finish a job on its own?

Green means a physical job done with no person

Vector 2.0: No household taskRoams a desk, docks itself and takes snapshots on request. Maker lists no household task.Digital Dream Labs product page
EMO: No household taskRoams a desk and returns to its Home Station. Maker page lists smart-home control as still in testing.Living.AI product page
Purobot Max Pro 2: 17 daysunscooped, one catCleans after each visitMaker says it cleans after a cat leaves. The 17-day figure is the maker's; no independent test checked.PetKit product page
Poketomo: Talks, no physical jobMaker lists conversation, shared memory, photo memory, a diary and a calendar link.Poketomo site

Vector 2.0 Digital Dream Labs support article · Digital Dream Labs product page and privacy FAQ · Hands-on review, Jun 2026 · Digital Dream Labs product pageEMO Living.AI product pages · Living.AI product page · Hands-on review, Sep 2026Purobot Max Pro 2 PetKit product page · 2 hands-on reviews, 2026Poketomo Sharp COCORO STORE, Japan · Poketomo site FAQ · Searched, no test found · Poketomo site

Same on all four: none of the maker pages read gives an accuracy rate for its recognition claim.

On the floor in the same study, the PetKit Purobot Max Pro 2 turns its drum by itself after the cat has gone, litter tracked across its mat and the boards.

Everything else

Where they land among 46 specialty robots

Only the measures on which these four differ. The bar is the whole category; the block is the typical middle half; the tick is the median.

WeightThe robot alone

Vector 2.0

0.35 lb

EMO

0.54 lb

Purobot Max Pro 2

24.3 lb

Poketomo

0.43 lb

0.09typical 2.4–72 · median 24.32,646

HeightTallest point

Vector 2.0

2.7 in

EMO

4.6 in

Purobot Max Pro 2

23.7 in

Poketomo

4.6 in

0.9typical 8.3–29.5 · median 20.282

Sources

Where every figure comes from

Vector 2.0 · Digital Dream Labs product page, membership article and privacy FAQ (read 25 Oct 2026); Robot Review Desk (23 Jun 2026)
EMO · Living.AI product, specs and support pages (25 Oct 2026); Anton Robots review (fact-checked 12 Sep 2026)
Purobot Max Pro 2 · PetKit product page and manual index (25 Oct 2026); Technomeow review (25 Feb 2026); PetTech AI review (2026)
Poketomo · Sharp COCORO STORE plan and set pages; poketomo.com FAQ; ASCII.jp launch article on the unlimited plan (Jun 2026)

Claims are quoted from each maker's own pages as read on 25 Oct 2026. Hands-on findings are shown only where a review describes what it saw, and a robot with no such review reads as not found.

Questions

What readers ask

Do any of these work without a subscription?

EMO lists no plan, and PetKit’s litter box cleans with no plan. Vector keeps Alexa commands and self-driven behavior but loses “Hey Vector” voice and ChatGPT or Claude. Poketomo’s maker calls a monthly plan mandatory for talking.

Which of these recognizes individual people or pets?

EMO lists up to 10 people and PetKit up to 15 cats. Poketomo’s maker says it recognizes one user as of December 2025. Vector’s page names faces and pets without a count. Hands-on reviews call PetKit’s matching hit or miss.

Does Vector keep face data off the cloud?

Its maker’s privacy FAQ says face data is stored locally on the robot and not uploaded, and photos are not sent to the cloud. Voice commands do go to the cloud. For EMO, no photo-handling statement was found.

Questions

What readers ask about this comparison.

Next up

PetKit Purobot vs CatLink Scooper: what ownership really costs

Read the comparison

Comparison ID: RV–CMP–14643 · Last reviewed Oct 25, 2026 · Based on owner reports, manufacturer documentation, and firmware release notes

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