RoboKind

RoboKind creates facially expressive robots which are used in education. They teach people with autism social and emotional skills better results than traditional therapy in months instead of years. They teach computer science to students without the need for a qualified instructor.

<div>Founded in 2011 by Richard Margolin, RoboKind develops robotic technology and curriculum for students with ASD. The company’s “robots4autism” and “robots4STEM” programs use humanoid robots to supplement autism therapy and STEM education. RoboKind’s robots include Milo, supporting social and emotional learning for ASD students; Jett, promoting STEM education by helping students learn to code; and Robon, assisting teachers learn to code. As of January 2021, RoboKind had served more than 300 districts.</div>

Remote learning is driving an education technology revolution.

EdTech: K-12

RoboKind is a company that develops socially intelligent robots and accompanying curricula to help students, particularly those on the autism spectrum, learn essential social skills. Their flagship product is Milo, a facially expressive humanoid robot designed to engage children with autism and facilitate the development of emotional understanding, communication abilities, and self-regulation techniques.

Assistive Technology & Curriculum for Autistic Students

Richard Margolin Of RoboKind On The Future Of Robotics Over the Next Few Years

Richland One 'RoboKind' levels playing field for students

Robots For Autism Teach Human Emotion

Meet the Team: Richard Margolin, Chief Technology Officer, Founder

RoboKind Announces New Lessons and Product Features for Summer 2022

Effective Educational Therapy

RoboKind Robots enter Elementary Schools of Richland 1

RoboKind robots allow Richland One students with disabilities to work on social

Revolutionizing efficiency by redefining human interactions

Humanoid Robots

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 Founded in 2011 by Richard Margolin, RoboKind develops robotic technology and curriculum for students with ASD. The company’s “robots4autism” and “robots4STEM” programs use humanoid robots to supplement autism therapy and STEM education. RoboKind’s robots include Milo, supporting social and emotional learning for ASD students; Jett, promoting STEM education by helping students learn to code; and Robon, assisting teachers learn to code. As of January 2021, RoboKind had served more than 300 districts.
 
 
 In January 2021, the company released Avatar—a remote learning version of its “robots4autism” program—to support educators and students with remote and blended learning. The new Avatar software is designed to help students continue their progress in meeting their Individual Education Program (IEP) goals in remote and blended learning environments.
 
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Founded in 2016, BookNook is an online literacy platform designed for learners in grades 1-5. Partnering with school districts and non-profit organizations, the company focuses on human-to-human learning and works with children one-on-one or in small groups, enabling it to gather rich, observational data. As of June 2021, the company partnered with hundreds of schools, school districts, and non-profits across 35 states.BookNook differs from other digital literacy tools by not requiring students to take formative assessments to check for their understanding. Rather, the platform lets teachers record qualitative data on oral fluency, such as whether a student pauses at punctuation marks as they read aloud, or reads in set phrases. Students can also record self-reflections on the platform.In June 2021, the company partnered with MIND Research Institute, a neuroscience and education social impact organization and creator of the PreK-8 visual instructional program ST Math, to deliver a High Dosage Tutoring program (HDT) for math to K-8 students to address unfinished learning. BookNook tutors will deliver tutoring sessions using the ST Math program over BookNook’s synchronous learning platform. The company launched a new teacher application portal at booknooktutor.com in October 2021, giving experienced teachers the opportunity to apply to become BookNook virtual tutors on its platform. BookNook intends to engage 10,000 virtual teachers to support 80,000 students by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.

BookNook

Story2 uses its proprietary Moments Method writing system, its StoryBuilder software, and live online group coaching to help high school students and professionals improve their writing, speaking, storytelling, and collaboration skills.The company aims to help different segments with their specific needs: students with college admission and scholarship essays, professionals preparing for interviews and creating cover letters, and business teams to improve sales, recruiting and company messaging through effective storytelling.Since 2013, Story2 has worked with more than 200,000 individuals in 21 countries with college admission essays, interview preparation, and pitching ideas. The company is expanding into China and India in 2020 and plans to focus on helping science and technology students improve their communication and leadership skills.

Story2

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 Vooks offers a subscription-based, ad-free curated library of children's books converted to video with narration and some slow-paced animation, allowing children to read along while watching. Aimed at young children aged 6 months to 8 years, Vooks promotes reading aloud to develop fluency and comprehension. The company was founded by siblings Marshall Bex and Shannon Bex, and Russell Hirtzel, and is reportedly the first-ever streaming service for books with illustrations, read-along text and animations.
 
 
 In February 2020, Vooks raised USD 12 million in Series A funding; however, the investors and purpose of the funding were not disclosed. In November 2020, the company raised USD 21.9 million in equity investments from more than 30 investors.
 
 
 In November 2020, Vooks partnered with United Way of Metropolitan Dallas (UWMD), a community-based, nonprofit social change organization, and Atmos Energy, a natural gas distributor, to provide around 78,000 one-year Vooks subscriptions for children aged 3 to 6 and early education teachers in the Greater Dallas area. The program is funded by a USD 1 million contribution from Atmos Energy, and contributes to UWMD’s Aspire United 2030 education goal of increasing the number of North Texas students reading at grade level by third grade by 50%. Similarly, in March 2021, the company partnered with Reach Out and Read Of Greater New York (ROR GNY), a nonprofit organization of healthcare providers who promote early literacy. The partnership aims to provide more than 75,000 preschool children with one-year Vooks subscriptions starting in March 2021.
 
 
 In July 2021, it was reported that Vooks is offering its service to authors and producers as a way of quickly testing ideas with audiences through simple animated shorts. Thereby, Vooks expands its library of original content while authors and producers get real-time performance data.
 
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Vooks

Xeropan offers an AI-powered, game-based approach to learning English through 14 of the most widely-spoken languages. As of October 2020, the app had more than one million players.

Xeropan

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 GoGuardian is a provider of student security software solutions to help educators identify learning patterns, protect students from harmful and distracting content, and support students at risk of self-harm and suicide. As of August 2021, the company had partnered with more than 10,000 schools in the US, covering more than 22 million students.  
 
 
 In November 2020, GoGuardian announced a 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/1863">
 merger with Pear Deck
 </a>
 to deepen the support provided to students and teachers and improve their in-class experience. Founded in 2014, Pear Deck is a student engagement platform that allows teachers to create, edit, and launch multimedia content and formative assessments on students' devices to increase student engagement. At the time of the merger, Pear Deck was used by 8 million educators and students in more than 17,000 schools worldwide. Pear Deck co-founder and Chief Educator, Michal Eynon-Lynch, will join the GoGuardian Board of Directors. In May 2022, the company acquired 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/10683">
 TutorMe,
 </a>
 Zovio’s tutoring services business, for USD 55 million in cash to strengthen its product offering. 
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In August 2021, GoGuardian secured a USD 200 million investment from Tiger Global Management. The funds will be allocated for product innovation, talent acquisition, and business development. 
 
 
 
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GoGuardian

Businesses providing education delivery solutions such as learning management systems (LMS), and tech solutions for data analytics, administration, and other services to educational institutions.

Businesses delivering curriculum-based learning, particularly relating to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to educational institutions and individual students.

Mostly for-profit corporations running state-funded, tuition-free schools as an alternative to traditional public schools.

Businesses providing extra-curricular education relating to the arts, hobbies, and life skills, and entities providing college and career guidance.

Businesses delivering English language arts (ELA) education, and language learning and literacy support to educational institutions and individual students.

Platforms providing students with after-school tutoring support on an individual or group basis.

Businesses delivering early childhood education, special education, and social-emotional learning (SEL) programs to educational institutions and individual students.

Entities providing professional development resources and tools for teachers, and those providing testing and assessment solutions to educational institutions and educators.

Platforms providing student-parent-teacher-school communication and networking solutions, and those providing search, reference, and marketplace solutions.

Companies that use GenAI as a core part of their product offering for EdTech: K12 solutions

Uses GenAI to provide interactive AI tutors, create personallized learning pathways,  and gamified learning solutions

Uses AI/ML to create personalized learning plans, adaptive learning platforms, and intelligent tutoring systems

Adaptive learning platforms, personalized learning plans, and AI-powered analytics provide insight into student performance

Learning platforms that promote an inclusive and equitable educational culture for underserved communities

RoboKind is a company that develops socially intelligent robots and accompanying curricula to help students, particularly those on the autism spectrum, learn essential social skills. Their flagship product is Milo, a facially expressive humanoid robot designed to engage children with autism and facilitate the development of emotional understanding, communication abilities, and self-regulation techniques.
RoboKind's robots employ principles of applied behavior analysis and evidence-based practices for autism interventions. They are programmed to exhibit consistent behavior, facial expressions, and voice, providing a predictable and non-judgmental learning environment for students. The robots are integrated with a comprehensive curriculum that utilizes video modeling, guided practice, and positive reinforcement to teach social and emotional skills through interactive lessons.
RoboKind's approach has shown remarkable success in engaging students with autism, with research indicating an 87.5% engagement rate during lessons with the robots, compared to only 2-3% engagement in traditional therapy sessions. Their robots and curricula have been adopted by numerous school districts and therapy centers, particularly in North America, with plans to deploy around 200 additional units in the upcoming year.
The robots are designed to be durable and cost-effective for use in classroom and therapy settings. They feature embedded screens, sensors, and actuators that enable natural interactions and facilitate the teaching of skills such as emotion recognition, turn-taking, and self-regulation strategies.
Key customers and partnerships
RoboKind has formed partnerships with several school districts, including Richland School District One in South Carolina. The district participated in a pilot program initiated by the South Carolina Department of Education in 2017 and subsequently integrated RoboKind robots into all of its elementary schools and specialized schools for students with cognitive disabilities.
As of 2023, Richland School District One had implemented 29 RoboKind robots across its schools, with positive outcomes reported in students' communication, emotional understanding, and self-regulation skills. The district's educators noted a significant increase in student engagement during lessons with the robots, facilitating improved learning outcomes.
Another notable partnership is with the University of Texas at Dallas, where research conducted at the Callier Center demonstrated the effectiveness of RoboKind's robots in improving social-emotional skills and self-regulation in students with autism.

UBTech Robotics is a Shenzhen-based company that manufactures humanoid robots for various applications. UBTech's product lineup includes educational robots, logistics robots, and intelligent service robots customized for specific industries like manufacturing and healthcare.Their humanoid robots are equipped with capabilities like sensing, voice interaction, navigation, greeting visitors, and performing tasks such as walking and grasping objects. Key products include the Alpha small humanoid launched in 2014, the Walker humanoid service robot introduced in 2018 for general services, and the upgraded Walker X released in 2021.

UBTech Robotics

Figure is a robotics startup founded with the goal of developing the world's first commercially viable general-purpose humanoid robot called Figure 01. The company is led by CEO Brett Adcock and CTO Jerry Pratt, a renowned roboticist who previously worked at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC).
Figure one is designed to mimic the human form, standing five feet six inches tall, weighing 130 pounds, and capable of lifting up to 44 pounds. It features 41 degrees of freedom, including seven in each arm, six in each leg, and a six degree-of-freedom hand with an opposable thumb. The robot is fully electric, running for five hours on a single charge.
Figure one aims to address labor shortages by assisting human workers in manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and retail settings. It leverages advanced AI and machine learning capabilities to perform tasks autonomously, enabling it to navigate complex environments, grasp objects, and manipulate tools. In March 2024, Figure demonstrated the robot handling warehouse tasks such as picking up bins and placing them on a conveyor belt.
Key customers and partnerships
In January 2024, Figure announced a commercial agreement with BMW to deploy its robots on the automaker's production lines.
Figure has also entered a collaboration with OpenAI to develop next-generation AI models specifically for humanoid robots. This partnership aims to enhance Figure 01's ability to process and reason from language, accelerating its commercial deployment timeline.

Figure

Agile Robots AG is a robotics company founded as a spin-off from the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The company's mission is to bridge the gap between artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics by developing systems that combine state-of-the-art force-moment sensing and world-leading image processing technology. This unique combination enables Agile Robots to provide intelligent, user-friendly, and affordable robotic solutions that facilitate safe human-robot interaction.
Agile Robots offers a range of robotic arms for industrial applications as well as research and educational purposes. Their product portfolio includes industrial robot arms, collaborative robot (cobot) arms, robotic software, an anthropomorphic robotic hand, and an educational platform called Aini that teaches foundational concepts in logic, computer science, mathematics, and physics by enabling students aged eight to 15 to program and operate robots.
In November 2023, Agile Robots acquired Franka Emika GmbH, a German robotics company known for its Panda collaborative robot arm. The acquisition, valued at over 30 million euros, allowed Agile Robots to expand its operations, retain Franka Emika's 100-person workforce, and strengthen its position in the robotics industry.
As of November 2022, Agile Robots had over 1,000 employees worldwide. The company established a production facility in Kaufbeuren, Germany, with plans to hire an additional 60 employees and manufacture 2,500 robots per year within a few years.
Key customers and partnerships
In October 2023, Agile Robots gained idealworks, a subsidiary of the BMW Group focused on industrial automation, as a majority shareholder through a Series A financing round. This strategic partnership enables the joint development of new solutions and technologies, as well as access to further branches and markets. Agile Robots and idealworks complement each other in their industry expertise and range of solutions, with idealworks bringing in the BMW Group as one of its largest customers and its industrial know-how.

Agile Robots

SoftBank Robotics is a leading provider of robotic solutions for various industries, including food service, cleaning, and logistics. The company's core offerings include autonomous cleaning robots like the Whiz series and Scrubber 50 Pro, tray delivery robots such as Servi, Keenbot T5, and Delivery X1, as well as logistics automation solutions leveraging technologies like AutoStore's high-density automated warehousing system.
SoftBank Robotics' cleaning robots, powered by artificial intelligence, can efficiently clean and disinfect floors while detecting and removing stains. The tray delivery robots are designed to optimize operations in the food service industry, reducing staff workload by autonomously transporting food and drinks between tables and the kitchen. The company's logistics solutions aim to optimize warehouse operations by maximizing space utilization and enabling efficient storage and retrieval of goods.

SoftBank Robotics

Agility Robotics is a company that develops and manufactures bipedal robots for industrial and commercial applications. Its flagship product is Digit, a human-sized bipedal robot designed to perform tasks such as moving heavy materials, picking up and putting down objects, and navigating through human-centric environments like warehouses and factories.
Digit is built on the principles of the spring-mass model, which replicates the dynamics of animal gaits to achieve efficient and natural bipedal locomotion. The robot's legs are modeled after an ostrich's, with a short thigh segment and long lower legs, enabling it to walk and run with remarkable energy economy. Digit is equipped with sensors and perception systems that allow it to operate autonomously or with human guidance.
Agility Robotics' technology has its roots in research conducted at Oregon State University, where the company was spun out in 2015. The company's early work focused on developing the ATRIAS and Cassie robots, which demonstrated the feasibility of using the spring-mass model for bipedal locomotion. Building on this research, Agility Robotics has commercialized the technology through Digit, which it began mass-producing in 2023.

Agility Robotics

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for research and education purposes in various fields such as science, technology, and academia

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for personal support and caregiving to assist individuals in their homes with tasks like cleaning, cooking, and providing companionship; includes applications in the medical and healthcare industry, such as assisting with surgeries, rehabilitation, or acting as companions for patients

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for entertainment purposes and social interaction. They can be used in public spaces, events, or as personal companions

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for commercial services across various industries such as retail, hospitality, and customer service

Companies that develop full humanoid robots for industrial and manufacturing settings to perform tasks such as assembly, material handling, and quality control

Companies that develop software and hardware that enable humanoid robot technology (e.g., sensors, grippers, cognitive architecture, robotic applications/software, etc.)

Uses IoT, AI/ML, and robotics to mimic human actions, kinesthetics, and mental state

Most of the companies in the industry use robotics technology to develop humanoid robots

RoboKind

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