Overview
- Angle’s new startup, unveiled Monday at the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything conference, came out of stealth with a four‑legged “Familiar” prototype.
- The quadruped features 23 degrees of freedom, a touch‑sensitive coat, cameras and microphones, and it runs a small multimodal model on‑device to cut latency and protect privacy.
- This is a technology reveal rather than a product launch, with no price or ship date disclosed and sales targeted as early as next year through an upfront purchase plus subscription.
- The robot does not speak human language and uses pet‑like sounds and body cues to build long‑term rapport, with potential appeal for older adults who want company without pet care burdens.
- Angle founded the company after leaving iRobot in 2024, and the team includes veterans from MIT, Boston Dynamics and Disney Research in a bid to shift consumer robotics from chores to connection.