Human Computer Lab wants the next home robot to be more Pixar lamp than laundry-folding butler

When you think of home robots, you might think of the humanoid robots designed to wash your dishes and fold your laundry.

Human Computer Lab (HCL) founder Shahvir Sarkary thinks we’re not ready for that yet. Instead, the recently graduated Vancouverite told BetaKit in an interview that he wants to ease people into robotics with LeLamp. It’s a playful robot light reminiscent of Pixar’s iconic hopping lamp. Sarkary sees it as a friendly companion that will fit into “existing habits” while delivering emotion and expression, much like what you’d expect if a lamp from an animated film came to life.

“I see humanoid [robot] companies chasing the iPhone end-state and a service economy; I want to nail the emotionally resonant iPod first.”
Shahvir Sarkary,
Human Computer Lab

Right now, Sarkary believes humanoid robot manufacturers, which in Canada include startups like Sanctuary AI, are overshooting the mark and aiming for complete, do-everything products. He said HCL’s approach is closer to the Apple of old that began its pocketable device strategy with the more focused iPod, before moving to the iPhone.

“We want to build the iPod of robotics before the iPhone,” Sarkary told BetaKit. “I point out that the iPod didn’t call an Uber or run spreadsheets—it just did music really well, and music makes you feel something… I see humanoid companies chasing the iPhone end-state and a service economy; I want to nail the emotionally resonant iPod first.”

Pixar wasn’t the direct inspiration, either. Sarkary instead cited Apple’s research project ELEGNT, a robotic lamp that let the tech giant experiment with “expressive” movement rather than strictly functional motions. He and others at FR8, a tech residency in Finland where he was part of an initial cohort, developed LeLamp this summer as an open-source experiment in productizing ELEGNT. The lamp looks where you point, responds to voices, and moves playfully the entire time. Sarkary claims the response “took off” online within days.

HCL is very young, with Sarkary the only founder and hiring still in the early stages. Current workers are contractors, however, the company has already raised a $500,000-USD ($700,000-CAD) pre-seed simple agreement for future equity (SAFE round led by the tech community South Park Commons, where Sarkary is now a fellow, and FR8. The build-it-yourself beta version, currently in a limited pilot with a waitlist, is aimed at hobbyists and developers with a targeted price of $300 USD (about $423 CAD). A mainstream version is expected to follow.

HCL plans to anchor itself both in Canada and the United States. Sarkary said this reflects a “real opportunity to build a cross-border team,” noting that there were “incredible people” in both countries that included ex-pat Canadians at American firms. Talent is the “biggest moat” in getting HCL started in Canada, Sarkary said, although he argued that the situation was improving as there were “incredibly strong people” around universities.

The entrepreneur also pointed to manufacturing as a challenge when China is still “far more competitive” in cost and scaling. He also fully expected robotics to be “harder” than hardware, and that it would be a “long, difficult journey” to bring products like LeLamp to market. Startups like Montréal’s hunting-oriented Rozvelt have discussed a difficult fundraising environment for Canadian hardware given tough economic conditions, while Calgary’s Attabotics shut down after years of economic headwinds.

As for the future? HCL is exploring other robot form factors, but isn’t ready to share them. Sarkary believes humanoid robots will “eventually find their place,” but that it’s more important in the near term to develop automatons that let you forge relationships. He sees parental approval as a gauge of whether or not robots will make it into households.

“If you walk into a robot store in a few years, would you buy a five-foot humanoid for your child, or something expressive, safe, and sidekick-like instead for the home?” Sarkary said.

Feature images courtesy of Human Computer Lab.