technology • May. 5, 2026

iRobot Launches AI-Powered Pet Robot to Transform Smart Home Companionship

iRobot is reentering the competitive household robotics market with a next-generation AI-powered pet robot designed to provide emotional companionship, smart home integration, personalized interaction, and intelligent assistance for families, children, and elderly users.

Colin Angle, the robotics pioneer behind the Roomba vacuum cleaner, is now working on a new kind of household companion — a plush AI-powered robot pet called Familiar. Unveiled on Monday by his startup Familiar Machines & Magic, the four-legged prototype is designed to provide emotional connection rather than practical household help. About the size of a bulldog, the robot has soft fur, bear-like ears and paws, and expressive eyes.

It can stretch out to greet people, respond to touch, follow users around the house, and gradually adapt to their habits through artificial intelligence. Angle said the team did not want the robot to look exactly like a person, dog, or cat because they wanted it to feel different from real pets. He said Familiar is designed to become a companion rather than just another gadget or toy.

Instead of talking, the robot reacts with simple animal-like sounds and responds to people through sensors and voice recognition. As people spend more time with it, the robot slowly learns their routines and changes its behavior accordingly. Angle said newer technology has finally made it possible to create a robot that can interact with people in a more natural and personal way.

The idea builds on decades of attempts to create robotic companions, including Sony’s robotic dog Aibo, first introduced in the late 1990s. However, Angle believes Familiar goes beyond earlier efforts by offering a more natural and emotionally engaging experience. He imagines it becoming especially useful for older adults who still enjoy companionship but may no longer want the responsibility of caring for a real pet.

The startup, based in Massachusetts, was formed after Angle stepped down from iRobot in 2024 following Amazon’s cancelled acquisition of the company. Familiar Machines remained secretive until this week, when the prototype was presented at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything conference in New York. The project has attracted several respected robotics experts, including Boston Dynamics founder Marc Raibert and MIT researcher Cynthia Breazeal, both known for developing socially interactive robots.

Experts in the field believe the robot’s success will depend on whether people find it comforting rather than unsettling. Maja Matarić, a professor at the University of Southern California and a pioneer in socially assistive robotics, said she immediately felt drawn to the prototype and interacted with it like a real pet. She noted that research has consistently shown that robots seen as cute and vulnerable are far more appealing to people.

She also believes robots like Familiar could eventually play important roles in nursing homes, mental health support, and companionship for lonely individuals..