Colin Angle, the co-founder and former CEO of iRobot, has announced his return to the robotics field by founding a new startup, Familiar Machines & Magic, which focuses on developing an innovative home robot for health and wellness. According to The Boston Globe, this robot may take the form of an animal or a "pet" and is designed to provide companionship for family members and assist in health management.

Familiar Machines & Magic is currently in stealth mode. The team members include Chris Jones, the former CTO of iRobot, and Ira Renfrew, who worked at iRobot and then moved to Amazon for robotics. Renfrew was involved in the development of the discontinued Scout delivery robot. Angle's return marks an interesting shift from iRobot's utilitarian robots to personal companion robots.

After the failed acquisition of iRobot by Amazon, Angle left the company. Since then, iRobot has significantly cut its R&D budget and laid off nearly 50% of its workforce, refocusing on household cleaning equipment. Meanwhile, Familiar Machines & Magic is developing an innovative robot that may transform the home health and companionship market, striving to enhance the quality of life of family members through advanced technology.

Familiar Machines & Magic has raised $15 million from eight investors and is in the process of refinancing. The company's job postings on LinkedIn describe it as a "well-funded, AI and robotics startup outside of Boston." This financial support enables the company to continue 推进 the development of its health and companionship robot.

With the progress of generative AI technology, the personal robot field has gained new vitality. Familiar Machines & Magic is expected to design more attractive home robots by combining personality and practicality. Similar to ElliQ of the Israeli startup Intuition Robotics, this robot aims to provide social companionship for the elderly and those staying at home. Whether Angle's "pet robot" can fill this market gap and bring revolutionary changes remains to be seen.

According to investors, these "furry pet robots" may effectively alleviate loneliness and have a positive impact on the health of family members. Although there are many similar products on the market, robots that combine companionship and health management are still in an emerging field, and the creativity of Familiar Machines & Magic may add more magic to family life.