Santa Clarita-based Tombot Inc. nabbed $6.1 million in series A funding, the health robotics company announced in June.
Tombot is best known for Jennie, a robot meant to look and act like a 2-month-old labrador puppy. The robot, clad in soft furlike fabric, can wag its tail, cock its head and turn its ears – without needing to be walked, fed or groomed. The robot is geared toward people who have mobility or cognitive impairments that prevent them from caring for a living animal.
“Over 300 million seniors around the world with dementia and mild cognitive impairment are unable to care for a live animal at a time when they need the companionship of a pet more than ever,” said Tom Stevens, Tombot co-founder, in a statement. “Millions of other individuals suffering from mental health adversities are in a similar predicament.”
Tombot, which was created in 2017, was inspired by Stevens’ mother Nancy, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2011. Nancy’s primary companion, a goldendoodle puppy named Golden Bear, had to be rehomed after getting aggressive with her caregiver, which exacerbated Nancy’s loneliness.
Tombot is one of the many robotic pet companies being used to combat loneliness and exercise cognitive stimulation in the aging population. Rhode Island-based Ageless Innovation manufactures animatronic cats, dogs and birds. The company has collaborated on state-sponsored programs to bring them to patients in hospice care and veterans. The New York State Office for Aging spearheaded an initiative to give away animatronic animals to older residents last year. Three Washington D.C. wards have done the same at the start of this year.
The Jennie robot is manufactured with sensors that correspond to voice commands and touch, and can be further customized through a caregiving app. The robot is also rechargeable, and if a patient attempts to feed it chocolate pudding, like Nancy once did, its fabric lining can be wiped with soap and water.
