iRobot cofounder Colin Angle unveils Familiar at New York summit
Colin Angle, co-founder of iRobot, just revealed Familiar, a new AI-powered "pet" designed to be your emotional sidekick.
Unveiled at the Future of Everything summit in New York, Familiar doesn't try to look like a cat or dog; instead, it uses animal-like sounds and expressive ears to connect with you.
It actually learns from how you talk, move, and even your facial expressions.
Angle says familiar avoids animal likenesses
Angle says they avoided making it look like any real animal because "we wanted to steer away from all of those preconceptions."
The idea is mainly for older adults who want companionship without the hassle of caring for a real pet.
Named after magical helpers in folklore, Familiar is also a first step toward emotionally intelligent AI, tech that understands human feelings and interacts safely in our world.