iRobot’s founder is working on a new kind of home robot

Colin Angle, the co-founder of iRobot and its CEO for 3 decades, is getting backmost into robotics with a caller startup called Familiar Machines & Magic. According to The Boston Globe, the institution is processing a caller benignant of location robot focusing connected wellness and wellness that mightiness instrumentality the signifier of an carnal oregon a “familiar.”

The institution is presently successful stealth mode, Angle tells The Globe, and includes the erstwhile CTO of iRobot, Chris Jones, arsenic good arsenic iRobot’s Ira Renfrew, who near the institution to enactment connected robotics astatine Amazon, including the shuttered Scout transportation robot.

Familiar Machines & Magic has raised $15 cardinal from 8 investors and is looking for $15 cardinal more, according to TechCrunch. A occupation listing for the institution connected LinkedIn describes it arsenic a “well-funded, caller embodied AI and robotics startup based extracurricular of Boston.”

It's an absorbing pivot for Angle to spell from the applicable to the personal. To date, robots that tin bash things for you, specified arsenic robot vacuum cleaners, robot litter boxes, and robot lawnmowers, person been much palmy than “companion bots.” Jibo, Moxie, and Anki are conscionable a fewer that person powered down implicit the years.

However, advances successful generative AI could bring much imaginable to the space. These technologies could marque robots specified arsenic the lovable Lovot or Sony’s Aibo, which the company recently resurrected, look much human-like, person conversations with you, and beryllium much utile than simply being cute.

What nonstop benignant of magic Angle and his Familars volition conjure up remains to beryllium seen. One capitalist described “furry pets to code loneliness” to The Globe. However, immoderate operation of property and practicality that positively impacts the wellness and well-being of household members feels similar a bully spot to start.