Better late than never. Digital Dream Labs (DDL), the edutainment startup that acquired Anki’s IP in December 2019, is gearing up to relaunch the popular Cozmo and Vector consumer robots by signing a global retail distribution deal with Protempo. The goal is to have the robots physically on retail store shelves in time for the…
Anki was developing security robots before shutdown
We reported last June Anki already had a prototype of its next consumer robot prior to shutting down. The Robot Report has learned there were multiple products in the works, and none of them are what you’d expect. First, meet Bingo, a security robot with a German Shepherd-inspired design. Anki was working on two versions…
Anki assets acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs [Updated]
Editor’s Note: This article was updated on December 27, 2019 at 11 AM EST. The Robot Report spoke to Digital Dream Labs Founder H. Jacob Hanchar and added new information about relaunching Anki products and a potential subscription model and open-source Vector 2.0. Anki’s robots might be making a comeback, after all. Digital Dream Labs,…
StretchTech wins patent infringement case against Anki
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. StretchTech won its patent infringement lawsuit against Anki, the once-popular consumer robotics company that closed in April 2019. The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled (PDF) Anki directly and indirectly infringed…
Anki patent portfolio is now for sale
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. The patent portfolio for Anki, the once-popular consumer robotics company that closed in April 2019, is now up for sale. The sale includes patents and trademarks for the Overdrive, Cozmo, and Vector product lines. Hilco Streambank, which is…
Anki Vector teardown details complex manufacturing process
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. Consumer robotics company Anki shut down in April, taking many by surprise. But a recent teardown video shed light on some of the complex, costly, and manual manufacturing processes involved with building the Anki Vector robot. Swetha…
Apple hires former Anki exec for Special Projects Group
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. Hanns Tappeiner, who founded Anki with Mark Palatucci and Boris Sofman in 2010, has been named Director of Product Development at Apple’s Special Projects Group. Tappeiner within the last few days updated his LinkedIn profile, which indicates he…
Anki sued for patent infringement
StretchTech is suing shuttered consumer robot maker Anki for allegedly infringing on three of its patents.
Anki co-founder addresses consumer robotics company closing
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. The news just broke that Anki Co-Founder and CEO Boris Sofman is now leading Waymo’s autonomous trucking efforts. Sofman wrote a blog on LinkedIn announcing the move and said 12 other former Anki employees have already joined…
Waymo hires former Anki employees, including co-founder Sofman
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. In what is likely the final nail in the coffin, Waymo has hired 13 former Anki employees, including Co-Founder and CEO Boris Sofman. According to Sofman’s LinkedIn profile, he is now Director of Engineering, Head of Trucking,…
Inside Anki shutdown: who owns IP, assets auction, failed partnership
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. For everyone wondering about a potential Anki comeback, don’t get your hopes up. Starting today and running through June 20, the assets inside Anki’s 40,000-square-foot office in San Francisco are being auctioned off. This is one of…
Anki shutdown reinforces difficulties of robot toys market
The shock ripped through the industry, on almost every social media platform techies were bemoaning the loss of Anki. As a former robot toys maker, I read the epitaph months earlier in the title of Lara Sorokanich’s Medium post, “Anki’s AI Robot Is a Delightful (and Expensive) Desk Toy.” When asked this week to comment,…
Anki addresses shutdown, ongoing support for robots
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. It’s been just over a week since consumer robotics company Anki shut down. The company now has a statement posted to its website that addresses the shutdown and ongoing support for its robots out in the world.…
Robotics investments recap: April 2019
Despite a few high-profile failures, robotics investments kept going strong in April 2019, with funding flowing to companies working on self-driving cars, supply chain automation, and robots in healthcare.
Anki shutdown: how the robotics world is reacting
Dealing yet another massive blow to the consumer robotics industry, Anki shut down after raising $200 million in funding since it was founded in 2010. A new round of funding reportedly fell through at the last minute, leaving the San Francisco-based company with no other option but to lay off its entire staff on Wednesday. Other recent…
Anki, consumer robotics maker, shuts down
Update on December 26, 2019: Anki’s assets have been acquired by edtech startup Digital Dream Labs. Read Story. Anki, the popular consumer robotics company and maker of Cozmo, Overdrive and Vector, has shut down. According to Recode, which first broke the story, a new round of financing fell through at the last minute and led…