EDINBURGH-BASED Konpanion, a human-centric robotics company has launched a new robot called ‘Maah’, a companion robot designed to help with non-living companionship.
Developed by a team of eight designers, engineers and roboticists, Maah represents a bold leap forward in social robotics, offering emotional support and well-being enhancement for consumers
Originally developed at London’s Central Saint Martin and later at the University of Edinburgh as a research project, in response to mental health specialists’ requests and vulnerable groups interest, Maah has transitioned from a research project to a commercial offering.
Since its inception in 2018, the project was funded through a combination of bootstrapping by the founders and external funding sources, including Scottish Edge, Creative Informatics, and Old College Capital.
With its intelligent, customisable, and connected design, the robot – which resembles a living pillow – offers exceptional emotional support and well-being enhancement using cutting-edge technology.
It is the first of its kind in the market, offering a combination of design-led ingenuity and eco-conscious production. Beyond the emotional support, which works by emulating pet-like behaviour, it integrates advanced health and wellness monitoring features through non-invasive sensing technology.
The API feeds back information to users when interacting with Maah, including users that may be monitoring their loved ones, children, or people in distress.
Alexandre Colle, CEO and co-founder of Konpanion, says: “Konpanion challenges the idea that humanoid robots are essential for meaningful human-robot interaction. Maah embodies our vision of a living home underpinned by design excellence, sustainability, and human-centric innovation.
“We’re proud to introduce Maah to the world and look forward to rolling the robot out later in the year as it will offer a seamless blend of companionship and health monitoring benefits for all.”
