When you think of home robots, you might think of humanoid robots Designed for washing dishes and folding laundry.
Human Computer Lab (HCL) founder Shahveer Sarkari believes we are not ready for this yet. Instead, the recently graduated Vancouver resident told BetaKit that he wants to make it easier for people to learn robotics by using LeLampa. It's a playful robot light reminiscent of Pixar's iconic jumping lamp. Sarkari sees him as a friendly companion who fits into “existing habits” while evoking emotion and self-expression much like what one would expect if a lamp from an animated film came to life.
“I see a humanoid [robot] companies pursuing the end-state iPhone and services economy; First I want to create an emotionally resonant iPod.”
Shahvir Sarkari,
Human computer laboratory
Currently, Sarkari believes that humanoid robot manufacturers, which in Canada include startups such as Sanctuary AIgo beyond the usual and strive to create complete, universal products. He said HCL's approach is closer to the old Apple, which started its handheld strategy with the more focused iPod before moving on to the iPhone.
“We want to create an iPod with robotics before the iPhone,” Sarkari told BetaKit. “I point out that the iPod didn't call Uber or run spreadsheets—it just played music really well, and music makes you feel something… I see humanoid companies chasing the end state of the iPhone and the services economy; I want to create an emotionally resonant iPod first.”
Pixar wasn't a direct inspiration either. Instead, Sarkari cited an Apple research project. ELEGNTa robotic lamp that allowed the tech giant to experiment with “expressive” movements rather than strictly functional movements. He and others in FR8technical resident in Finland, where he was part of the original group, developed LeLamp this summer as an open-source experiment to create ELEGNT. The lamp looks where you point, responds to voices, and moves playfully all the time. Sarkari claims the answer “took off” online within a few days.
HCL is very young with Sarkari as the sole founder and recruitment is still in the early stages. The current workers are contractors, but the company has already entered into a $500,000 ($700,000 CAD) preliminary simple agreement for a future equity (SAFE) round led by the tech community South Park Commons, of which Sarkari is now a member, and FR8. (After this story was originally published, the team contacted BetaKit to say that it has since raised another $900K in SAFE from the same investors.) The DIY beta, which is currently in a limited pilot with a waitlist, is aimed at hobbyists and developers with a target price of $300 USD (about $423 CAD). A major release is expected to follow.
HCL plans to establish a foothold in both Canada and the US. Sarkari said this reflects “a real opportunity to build a cross-border team,” noting that both countries have “incredible people,” including expatriate Canadians working for U.S. firms. Talent is the “biggest moat” for HCL's launch in Canada, Sarkari said, although he argued that the situation is improving as there are “incredibly strong people” around universities.
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The entrepreneur also cited manufacturing as a challenge as China is still “much more competitive” on cost and scale. He also fully expected that robotics would be “more complex” than hardware, and that bringing products like LeLamp to market would be “long and difficult.” Startups like Montreal-based hunting Rozvelt discussed difficult situation with fundraising for Canadian equipment in difficult economic conditions, and Attabotics in Calgary malfunction after years of economic difficulties.
As for the future? HCL is exploring other robot form factors but is not ready to share them. Sarkari believes that humanoid robots will “eventually find their place,” but what's more important in the near future is to develop automata that allow you to form relationships. He sees parental approval as an indicator of whether robots will be able to penetrate households.
“If you walked into a robot store in a few years, would you buy a five-foot humanoid for your child, or something expressive, safe and helper-like for your home instead?” – said Sarkari.
Artistic images courtesy of Human Computer Lab.
