Startup Embodied, a company that once brought hope with its $800 robot designed for kids aged 5 to 10, is now facing closure. The fate of this once-promising product hangs in the balance as it is set to be bricked soon.

The Disappearance of a Promising Kid's Robot

Background and Closure Reason

Embodied attributed its closure to a failed "critical funding round." On its website, it was explained that a lead investor had been secured and was ready to close the round. However, at the last minute, this investor withdrew, leaving the company with no viable options to continue operations. Despite their efforts to secure alternative funding, they were unable to find a replacement in time.This lack of funding has led to the end of an era for Startup Embodied. Their previous backers included well-known names like Intel Capital, Toyota AI Ventures, Amazon Alexa Fund, Sony Innovation Fund, and Vulcan Capital. But the identity of the lead investor in this particular case remains unknown.

The Robot's Promise and Features

When it first announced Moxie in April 2020, Embodied described it as a "safe and engaging animate companion for children designed to help promote social, emotional, and cognitive development." The robot was advertised with play built around "best practices in child development and early childhood education." It offered changing weekly themes such as empathy, friendship, and respect, along with activities like meditation, reading, and drawing with the bot. These features made Moxie a unique and valuable toy for kids.However, with the company's closure, none of these features will be available anymore. The pricey children's toy, which was once seen as a source of joy and learning, is now virtually useless. According to Embodied, Moxie can't perform core functionality without cloud connectivity. This limitation poses a significant problem for the users.

The Uncertain Future for Owners

The company doesn't know the exact date when services will cease. It is likely to happen within days. Despite this uncertainty, Embodied is exploring options to keep Moxie operational for as long as possible, but they cannot provide any guarantees. This leaves the owners of Moxie in a difficult situation, not knowing when their beloved robot will stop working.Since Embodied marketed Moxie as a companion and development toy for children, there is concern about the potential emotional toll on kids when the robot suddenly becomes inoperable. Embodied has promised to provide a guide for telling children about Moxie's demise, but this may not be enough to ease the pain of losing a friend.Online, customers are already sharing videos of their sad kids learning that their robot friend will no longer play with them. This shows the impact that the closure of Startup Embodied has had on the lives of these children.