When it first debuted at CES in 2017, Kuri – the 20-inch tall home robot from Mayfield Robotics – was described as both “amiable” and “insanely cute.” So why, just two short years later, is The Verge calling Kuri “adorably doomed?”
Unfortunately for little Kuri, Mayfield – a subsidiary of Bosch – has announced it will be closing up shop in October of this year.
Kuri made a big splash at CES when it first launched, partly because home robots were on their way up, but also because Kuri offered more of a “companion” quality than, say, an Alexa. That’s because Kuri features a sweet, animated face complete with eyes, and is said to understand context and recognize certain faces and surroundings.
Kuri was equipped with wheels and an electric motor and used a laser-depth system to map out its surroundings, enabling the robot to wander around your house without colliding with anything. With head movements and chirping sounds, this was the real-life WALL-E we were all waiting for.
But Mayfield never really found a place for itself within the greater Bosch organization, which it candidly revealed when the company announced back in July that it had halted production for the time being. It seems many of the companies created under the Bosch Startup Platform are later integrated into Bosch business units but with Mayfield, they just couldn’t find a logical fit.
Despite exiting the market, Mayfield said that, regardless, they stood firm in their “belief that the home robot Renaissance is just beginning, and it’s going to be amazing.” Maybe. But the home robotics segment has been called “surprisingly stubborn,” and Tech Crunch suggests that many companies are failing due to “prohibitively steep price tags.”
In Kuri’s case, you could take one home for around $700, which might be a little high when you consider the first iteration might serve as little more than a glorified kids’ toy. But that doesn’t speak to the future for this tech, which was essentially built from the ground up by a very small team. Those customers who already have a Kuri in their homes will be refunded their investments, but are still permitted to keep the robot, though they’ll then have to sadly watch as their robot companion’s skills diminish due to lack of updates.
If it didn’t have such a sweet face, it wouldn’t be sad.