Colin Angle, the co-founder of iRobot and its CEO for 3 many years, is getting again into robotics with a brand new startup referred to as Acquainted Machines & Magic. In response to The Boston Globe, the corporate is growing a brand new sort of dwelling robotic specializing in well being and wellness that may take the type of an animal or a “acquainted.”
The corporate is at present in stealth mode, Angle tells The Globe, and consists of the previous CTO of iRobot, Chris Jones, in addition to iRobot’s Ira Renfrew, who left the corporate to work on robotics at Amazon, together with the shuttered Scout supply robotic.
Acquainted Machines & Magic has raised $15 million from eight buyers and is on the lookout for $15 million extra, in keeping with TechCrunch. A job itemizing for the corporate on LinkedIn describes it as a “well-funded, new embodied AI and robotics startup primarily based exterior of Boston.”
It is an fascinating pivot for Angle to go from the sensible to the private. So far, robots that may do issues for you, reminiscent of robotic vacuum cleaners, robotic litter containers, and robotic lawnmowers, have been extra profitable than “companion bots.” Jibo, Moxie, and Anki are just some which have powered down over time.
Nonetheless, advances in generative AI may deliver extra potential to the house. These applied sciences may make robots such because the lovable Lovot or Sony’s Aibo, which the corporate lately resurrected, appear extra human-like, have conversations with you, and be extra helpful than merely being cute.
What precise kind of magic Angle and his Familars will conjure up stays to be seen. One investor described “furry pets to handle loneliness” to The Globe. Nonetheless, some mixture of persona and practicality that positively impacts the well being and well-being of family members appears like a great place to begin.
