Company debuts new category of personal robots at CES
Labrador Systems, an early-stage technology company developing a new generation of assistive robots, announced that it has raised an additional $3.1M in Seed Funding. Amazon’s Alexa Fund and iRobot Ventures co-led the round, with SOSV returning and new investors, including Grep VC, joining in. In a related CES 2022 announcement, the company introduced The Labrador™ Retriever, a new type of personal robot that empowers individuals to live more independently by providing practical, physical assistance with everyday activities in the home. The investment will be used to expand Labrador’s consumer and commercial activities, grow its engineering team and accelerate efforts with its manufacturing partners.
Labrador announced it would begin taking early reservations from consumers for its home robots, with plans to be in full production by the second half of 2023, and beta units available earlier.
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The Labrador Retriever lightens the load for individuals where pain, injury or other health conditions impact their daily activities. It is large enough to carry items such as a laundry basket, but agile enough to navigate the tight spaces of a home. The Retriever also features an innovative retrieval and delivery system to bring items within reach. Users can easily command the Retriever using their smart phone or with their voice through an Alexa-enabled device.
“Labrador is advancing the state of the art in what it means to provide assistance to people aging and with mobility challenges,” said Paul Bernard, Director of the Alexa Fund. “They are addressing a significant problem in our society and have brought their decades of experience in consumer robotics to bear, delivering a product that will help empower people to live better lives.”
“This is the first time we’ve seen this class of robot developed for the home; until now this level of functionality has been confined to warehouses and other commercial environments,” says Paul Willard, Partner at Grep VC. “We’re impressed with how the team is enabling robotics and navigation systems to run on low-cost consumer grade electronics to provide more independence for millions of individuals.”
The Labrador is featuring the Retriever, including its integration with Alexa, at CES 2022 in the company’s exhibit at Venetian Expo (Booth #52049).
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Labrador’s platform is designed from the ground up to be part of an expanding ecosystem of products and services. Along with the Retriever, Labrador announced plans to offer an entry level version of the robot, the Labrador Caddie, to provide different pricing and features based on the user’s needs. The company is also working with care providers in senior living, physical therapy and home health to explore ways the Labrador platform can support their mission and extend the impact of caregivers in a number of settings.
Summing up the work of Labrador, SOSV General Partner Cyril Ebersweiler said, “This is the robot everybody was looking for.”
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