The new, polar bear-esque robot by the inventor of the iRobot vacuum was all over the internet this week — eyelashes beating and tail wagging. Called the “Familiar,” the robot intends to support emotional well-being.
The launch of the new venture is just a few months after iRobot filed for bankruptcy and was acquired by its Chinese manufacturer, as Chinese autonomous vacuums have largely dominated publicity on the tech front. Colin Angle, the longtime iRobot CEO who is now leading cuddly robot startup Familiar Machines & Magic, says he’s learned his lessons in competing with China, even as Asian companies have a jumpstart in the market for pet-like robot companions.
“We were able to maintain a significant lead for 17 years at iRobot. The opportunity is many, many times the size, and we learned from our mistakes,” he told Semafor, adding that existing companies have helped legitimize the sector.
One mistake that he intends to correct with Familiar is lowering the initial cost of the robot and implementing a subscription model, which makes buying the bot less of an upfront cost burden for consumers but makes the company more money in the long run.