Tombot, a California-based robotics company that makes a robotic puppy that serves as a companion animal for people who cannot care for a live animal, announced that it has closed an oversubscribed $6.1 million Series A funding round.
The round was led by Caduceus Capital Partners with participation by new and existing investors.
WHAT IT DOES
The aim of Tombot’s robotic puppy, Jennie, which Jim Henson’s Creature Shop designed, is to provide the health benefits attributed to live animal ownership, including stress reduction and combating loneliness.
The robotic puppy is for individuals with dementia and mild cognitive impairment residing in private homes, assisted living facilities and memory care communities.
The puppy comes with sensors that react to touch, voice commands, movement and other sensory inputs.
It is rechargeable and equipped with an optional caregiver app that allows the end user to name the puppy, customize its functionality and track user interactions.
The funds will be used to grow Tombot’s team, finalize engineering and complete regulatory and safety certifications.
The company is preparing to ship its first robotic pet to more than 16,000 customers who pre-ordered the product as well as to customers on a waitlist.
“Tombot is entering a high-demand, underserved market at the intersection of mental health and assistive technology,” Tombot CEO and cofounder Tom Stevens said in a statement.
“Over 300 million seniors around the world with dementia and mild cognitive impairment are unable to care for a live animal at a time when they need the companionship of a pet more than ever. Millions of other individuals suffering from mental health adversities are in a similar predicament.”
MARKET SNAPSHOT
A 2019 meta-analysis revealed that aging adults living in care homes who are given and engage with robotic pets often experience health and quality-of-life benefits.
The findings were mainly based on qualitative responses collected during the studies. While most quantitative data obtained in the review generally supported this trend, the analysis of agitation reduction was not statistically significant.
The researchers also emphasized that not all seniors interact with the simulated pets and cautioned that “some older adults, families and nursing staff might actively dislike them.”
Other companies in the robotics space include tDiligent Robotics, which manufactures the autonomous clinical support robot Moxi. In 2023, the company scored $25 million in new funding.
The Moxi robot performs delivery tasks for hospital workers who are not patient-facing, including delivering lab samples, bringing supplies from central storage, delivering medications, retrieving patients’ items, distributing personal protective equipment and moving lightweight equipment between units.
In 2020, Brain Navi developed a robot to autonomously perform nasal swab tests, aiming to prevent cross-infections, protect healthcare workers and reduce strain on healthcare systems.
The robot helps to reduce staff-patient contact with highly infectious diseases at the point of testing by autonomously navigating and safely collecting patient samples.
It automatically recognizes the patient’s facial structure and the location of the nostrils, gently taking the samples to avoid close contact with patients.
That same year, Omron Asia-Pacific launched the UVC-LD robot. It was their first step into the UVC disinfection market.
The robot was a co-creation with Techmetics Robotics, an Autonomous Mobile Robots solutions company for service industries such as hospitality, healthcare and assisted living.
Omron LD-UVC navigates autonomously and disinfects premises, including high-touch areas, by eliminating 99.90% of bacteria and viruses, both airborne and droplet, by delivering the precise dosage of UVC energy.
