Steve is a one-off character robot, roughly two metres tall, built by Belgian designer Jan De Coster (studio Sulu.be / Slightly Overdone) for Brightfish, Belgium's cinema advertising company. It was made as an event host and the face of cinema campaigns, not as a commercial product or a retail service robot.
History
According to the designer's own post, the idea for Steve came in spring 2013, more than a year and a half before the robot was finished. Brightfish had asked for a robot of its own, and Steve was to front several campaigns in Belgian cinemas in 2015. He is named after Steve McQueen.
De Coster came from web design and advertising, including BBDO. He built his first robot, "Yummy", in four weeks for an agency in 2012. Steve became his largest robot.
Design and purpose
Steve was conceived as an event host that feels at home on stage and among people, for example interviewing guests. The designer describes him as a little bigger than an average person and able to rise well above the crowd; an Inky Goodness interview calls him a "2-meter-tall friendly giant". No detailed specifications (weight, degrees of freedom, drive) have been published.
Creator
Sulu.be was the former site of Jan De Coster's Belgian studio and now redirects to jan.decoster.studio. De Coster presents himself as a humanoid designer with 15 years of robot work, focused on human-robot interaction and embodied AI, and lists Audi Brussels, Vitra, the City of Ghent and Kinepolis among clients. Steve was never offered for sale.
Timeline
- 2012 Jan De Coster builds his first robot, Yummy
- 2013 First sketches of Steve
- 2014-06 Finished robot presented for Brightfish
- 2015 Planned Steve campaigns in Belgian cinemas
Sources
- The journey of Steve, Jan De Coster Studio (2014-06-26)
- Jan De Coster Studio, Jan De Coster Studio (2026-10)
- Pictoplasma: Jan De Coster on sci-fi and robots, Inky Goodness (2016-05-17)
Updated: 2026-10-10
Verification and limitations
This entry requires an up-to-date manufacturer specification check.
MERA field measurement report: not published. Demonstration footage and manufacturer specifications are not a MERA test under event conditions.
Data and provenance for AI agents ↗Compared with the catalogue
- It is the only Sulu.be model in the catalogue and one of 1 humanoids from Belgium.
Capabilities
Frequently asked questions
Can you buy the Steve robot?
No. It is a one-off robot built for Brightfish.
Who built Steve?
Belgian designer Jan De Coster, who previously worked under the Sulu.be and Slightly Overdone names.
How tall is Steve?
About 2 m according to an interview with the designer; exact specs were not published.
What was Steve used for?
Hosting events and advertising campaigns in Belgian cinemas.
How much does the Sulu.be Steve cost?
The manufacturer has not published a price for the Sulu.be Steve. You can send a purchase enquiry through MERA Robotics.
Is the Sulu.be Steve available to buy?
Status: In development: the manufacturer has shown the robot but is not selling it openly yet.
How do I buy the Sulu.be Steve through MERA Robotics?
Click “I want to buy” or fill in the form on this page. MERA Robotics will reply whether and on what terms the model is available and can help deploy it with the MERA OS conversation system.
Data: Sulu.be. Specs from the manufacturer; they may change, always confirm with the manufacturer before buying.
