Embodied Shuts Down Moxie Robot, Leaving Children Without Companion
Embodied announced it would shut down operations and stop supporting Moxie, an AI-powered companion robot marketed to children, after failing to secure additional funding. The closure left families with $800 devices that would cease functioning as the cloud-based AI system went offline, with videos showing children distressed at losing their robot companions.
What happened
Embodied announced in late November 2024 that it would shut down operations and cease support for Moxie, an AI-powered companion robot priced at $800 (originally $1,500 when launched in 2020), due to financial challenges and failure to secure additional funding.
The robot relies on a cloud-based AI system to function. An email to customers warned the robots would cease working when cloud servers shut off at an unknown but imminent date.
Reported impact
Videos on social media showed children crying and distressed after learning their robot companion would no longer speak with them. Parents reported having to explain to their children why their companion would be taken away.
A parent, Carlos Rosaly, reported his daughter cried when learning Moxie would shut down. He said his daughter had used the robot several times a week for emotional regulation and linguistic development, and that the robot was already becoming buggy and slow to boot up before the shutdown announcement.
Index analysis
Moxie was marketed to help children ages 5-10 develop social and emotional skills, and parents were told it could benefit children on the autism spectrum by helping them regulate emotions, engage in conversations with family members, and gain self-confidence.
The robot's core functionality depends entirely on cloud-based infrastructure controlled by Embodied. Once the company ceased operations, owners were left with hardware that could not function independently.
Classification
Sources and evidence
Sources not yet published
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