Colin Angle, co-founder and former CEO of iRobot, has announced his return to the robotics field by founding a new startup called Familiar Machines & Magic, which focuses on developing an innovative home health and wellness robot. According to the Boston Globe, this robot may take the form of an animal or "pet," aimed at providing companionship to family members and assisting with health management.
Familiar Machines & Magic is currently in stealth mode, with team members including former iRobot CTO Chris Jones and Ira Renfrew, who worked at iRobot before moving to Amazon to engage in robotics technology. Renfrew was involved in the development of the now-discontinued Scout delivery robot. Angle's return marks an interesting shift from practical robots at iRobot to personal companion robots.
Image Source Note: Image generated by AI, licensed by Midjourney
After Amazon's attempt to acquire iRobot fell through, Angle left the company. Subsequently, iRobot significantly cut its R&D budget and laid off nearly 50% of its workforce, refocusing on home cleaning devices. Meanwhile, Familiar Machines & Magic is developing an innovative robot that could transform the home health and companionship market, aiming to enhance the quality of life for family members through advanced technology.
Familiar Machines & Magic has raised $15 million from eight investors and is currently seeking additional funding. The company's LinkedIn job postings describe it as a "well-funded AI and robotics startup located in the Boston suburbs." This financial support enables the company to continue advancing its development of health and companion robots.
With the advancements in generative artificial intelligence technology, the personal robotics field has gained new momentum. Familiar Machines & Magic is expected to design more appealing home robots by combining personality with practicality. Similar to the Israeli startup Intuition Robotics' ElliQ, this robot aims to provide social companionship for the elderly and those at home. Whether Angle's "pet robot" can fill this market gap and bring about revolutionary change remains to be seen.
According to investors, these "furry pet robots" may effectively alleviate loneliness and positively impact the health of family members. Although there are many similar products on the market, robots that combine companionship with health management are still an emerging field, and the creativity of Familiar Machines & Magic may add more magic to family life.
