# Inside Colin Angle’s bid to build companion robots with Familiar Machines & Magic

- Show: [The Robot Report Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast)
- Published: 2026-05-04
- Length: 54m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic
- Listen: https://soundcloud.com/robot-report-podcast/inside-colin-angles-bid-to

## Summary

Colin Angle, founder of iRobot, introduces his new venture, Familiar Machines and Magic, which is emerging from stealth to build an empathetic, four-legged robotic companion. The company combines iRobot’s price-performance engineering, Boston Dynamics’ mobility, and Disney’s animatronics to create a pet-like robot with 23 degrees of freedom and a soft, digitally knitted exterior. Angle argues that the future of physical AI lies in emotional connection rather than just industrial efficiency, aiming to ship the first product next year at a cost comparable to owning a pet.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic#t=0) Introduction: Colin Angle and Familiar Machines & Magic
- [2:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic#t=151) The Vision: Emotional AI vs. Industrial Robotics
- [10:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic#t=615) Product Design: Morphology, Materials, and Actuation
- [15:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic#t=959) AI Architecture: Edge Computing and Personality Models
- [30:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic#t=1809) Team, Timeline, and Market Strategy
- [45:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2026-05-04-inside-colin-angles-bid-to-build-companion-robots-with-familiar-machines-magic#t=2709) Host Analysis: Comparison to Sony Aibo and Future Outlook

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch

## Mentioned

- iRobot (company)
- Familiar Machines and Magic (company)
- Boston Dynamics (company)
- Disney (company)
- Roomba (product)
- Sony Aibo (product)
- NVIDIA Jetson (chip)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep. 18: What Happens When Machines Start Feeling More Human?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-15-ep-18-what-happens-when-machines-start-feeling-more-human) (The Robo Success Podcast)
- [534: I Think We'll Add a Head](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2026-09-17-534-i-think-well-add-a-head) (Embedded.fm)
- [142: New and Improved Appendages (Repeat)](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2021-05-20-142-new-and-improved-appendages-repeat) (Embedded.fm)
- [133. Mighty Morphing All Terrain Robots Made By Nature](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-08-01-133-mighty-morphing-all-terrain-robots-made-by-nature) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Electronica 24: The Rise of AI-Powered Robotics at Fideltronik and Beyond](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-12-09-electronica-24-the-rise-of-ai-powered-robotics-at-fideltronik-and-beyond) (EMS@C-LEVEL)

## Citing this page

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