Misty Robotics

Misty Robotics, founded in 2017 as a spin-off from the consumer robotics company Sphero, is focused on creating a versatile and programmable robot platform for developers, educators, and researchers. The company was established by Ian Bernstein, co-founder of Sphero, who was instrumental in developing the popular Sphero robotic ball and the BB-8 toy robot for Disney. Bernstein's journey began with a childhood passion for electronics and robotics, leading him to co-found Sphero in 2010 to build app-enabled robots before envisioning a more sophisticated platform, which became Misty.

The company's core product is the Misty II robot, a professional-grade platform designed to lower the barrier of entry for creating and experimenting with social robots. The business model is centered on selling this hardware platform to a diverse client base, including software developers, STEM educators, academic researchers, and businesses exploring human-robot interaction. By providing a robust set of development tools, documentation, and open APIs, Misty Robotics empowers users to build and share new skills and applications, fostering a community-driven ecosystem. Revenue is generated through the direct sale of the Misty II robot, which was initially launched via a crowdfunding campaign before a public release in late 2019.

The Misty II robot stands 14 inches tall and is equipped with a wide array of sensors and hardware, including a 4K camera, a structured light sensor for 3D mapping (SLAM), a far-field microphone array, capacitive touch panels, and multiple processors. It can navigate autonomously, recognize faces, process voice commands, and display a range of expressions on its LCD face. Developers can program Misty using JavaScript and Python, and hardware can be extended with add-ons like an Arduino backpack, allowing for significant customization. This enables a wide variety of applications, from serving as a teaching assistant in special education to a temperature screening assistant in workplaces or a greeting concierge.

In January 2022, the business assets of Misty Robotics were acquired by the Swedish social robotics company Furhat Robotics. The acquisition was a strategic move to establish a U.S. base for Furhat and to combine the expertise of both teams to accelerate the development of social robots. The Misty brand and product line continue to be supported and developed under Furhat's ownership, with plans to integrate features from both platforms. Ian Bernstein joined Furhat's advisory board as part of the acquisition. Keywords: social robotics, developer platform, educational robot, human-robot interaction, programmable robot, STEM education, computer vision, autonomous navigation, robot development, sensor integration