Intuition Robotics Raises $36M Series B

Emotionless robots have stormed factories, farms, and fulfillment centers. Evil robots live rent-free in the brains of filmmakers and sci-fi writers. Where are all the Mr. Rogers robots?

They're already here...

...but aren't in many homes. Companion bots are expensive and many makers haven't even brought their products to market. But that hasn't deterred new entrants. At CES last month, Samsung unveiled the Ballie companion bot while Tombot showed off an animatronic robot dog.

Yesterday, five-year-old Israeli startup Intuition Robotics said it's raised a $36 million Series B. Its first product is ElliQ, a tableside bot/AI agent that lights up when speaking to show some approximation of emotion. The product is targeted to seniors: Most ElliQ users are 80–90 years old.

ElliQ is roughly laptop-sized and has a limited range of motion, but hardware's not the focus here. The robot engages its owners in conversation proactively rather than waiting for a wake word. Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are infinitely jelly.

But don't call it a robot

Intuition Robotics is eyeing the platform play, meaning it wants third parties to build services on top of its technology. It's already struck a deal with the Toyota Research Institute to create an in-car assistant to "generate a deeper relationship between the user and the car."

• This is familiar territory for Toyota. Woven City, its experimental urban lab, also plans to deploy companion bots.

Other robotic platformers: The Boulder, CO, startup Misty Robotics calls its general-purpose robot a platform. Sony opened its Aibo robot dog to developers. The endgame is to acquire features that make the robot worth buying and spending time with.

The real breakthrough

Roboticists often dream of their creations serving as teachers, nurses, butlers, or intergalactic droids. In the interim, companion bots—equipped with some AI smarts but limited mobility—make a bit more sense.

One application is the growing elderly population. Companion bots could potentially boost the mood of vulnerable or socially isolated people.