Robotics startup Intuition Robotics completed $14 million in financing. Six investors contributed to the round: TRI Capital, OurCrowd, iRobot, Maniv Mobility, Terra Venture Partners, and Bloomberg Beta.
The company, which was founded in 2015 and came out of stealth in January, has the ambitious goal of “developing social companion technology to positively impact the lives of millions of older adults.”
The company has developed ElliQ, an artificial intelligence-enabled robot that is able to communicate much like a human being and express its emotions using a combination of sounds, light, and voice. Like other AI assistants, including Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri, ElliQ gets smarter over time by continuously learning about users’ needs and behaviors. ElliQ is connected with a variety of entertainment, fitness, and communications technologies, and it is capable of carrying out tasks like suggesting music or podcasts or reminding its owner to take a walk after sitting on a couch for a prolonged period of time.
In its announcement, the company said TRI’s investment is the company’s first investment in robotic technology specifically for older adults.