Furhat, A Social Robotics Company Purchases Misty Robotics, A Spin-off Of Sphero
Furhat, a social robotics company purchases Misty Robotics, a spin-off of Sphero
Misty has been put through a lot. It has run into several roadblocks since receiving a $11.5 million funding round from Foundry and Venrock, as well as a successful crowdfunding campaign for its personal robot. Furhat Robotics, a Swedish social robotics company, announced today that it is offering the struggling startup a "soft landing" in the form of an all-cash transaction. According to TechCrunch, Furhat is not disclosing the financial details of the acquisition, but it says it is making the acquisition in order to give it a leg up on the hardware side, allowing it to leverage its social robotics software on new platforms.
In order to integrate the two technologies, Furhat Robotics, a company with an oddly named name, intends to maintain Misty Robotics' Colorado headquarters as its base of operations in the United States, retaining eight of the company's most senior employees as it works to integrate the two technologies.
Words from the CEO and co-founder of Furhat Robotics
In the words of Samer Al Moubayed, CEO and co-founder of Furhat Robotics: "We are retaining the senior team; the head of operations, engineering, business development, and senior software developers will join us." In order to manufacture the products, Misty has collaborated with a well-known partner in China, who has done an excellent job of establishing a highly scalable manufacturing operation."
As part of their "common vision," the companies say they will continue to support the Misty Robotics brand by assisting with product development and expansion, as well as integrating Furhat and Misty features into future social robots.
"In the world of social robotics, acquisitions are extremely rare occurrences. It's possible that this is the first time in history that something like this has happened." As a young industry, it is still developing "Al Moubayed provides clarification. "This company was established as a result of a spin-off from Spiro. That the robot is likable and approachable despite its appearance as a toy is what distinguishes it from other robots on the market. Despite this, it is a highly advanced system. What Misty Robotics has accomplished is to incorporate the best technologies from around the world into a robot that is extremely likable."
How Misty is a missing piece in the puzzle
A robot with a rear-projected animated face, according to the Furhat team, is ideal for social robots that need to have an adult personality, such as those used in airports, train stations, and medical settings. Furhat is a startup based in California. Because of its small arms and expressive facial expression, Misty brings something to the table that is significantly more extensible and expressive than most other dolls. Although they appear to be quite different, the Furhat team points out that the two robots have a great deal in common despite their apparent differences.
"Misty is the missing piece in our puzzle. Because of this, we can expand into a larger market, such as the education sector "Al Moubayed explains the process by which the acquisition was accomplished. "We and Misty have very similar technologies, but Misty is better at hardware, whereas we are better at software. Furhat decided to look for an alternative to building a new robot for educational purposes rather than building a new robot."
In the words of Ian Bernstein, Misty Robotics' co-founder and head of product, "Furhat Robotics is a true pioneer in its field." In combining our expertise, we are bringing the robotic applications of the future into the present, and the combination of our specialties means that we will see even more incredible real-world applications of this incredible technology in the not-too-distant future. In our daily lives, social robots already play an important role, and the sky is truly the limit when we pool our collective expertise to solve real-world problems."
