Embodied, the maker of Moxie, the $800 emotional support robot companion for kids, has gone out of business, leaving customers high and dry. The company issued a press statement that it would “brick” its Moxie robots industry term meaning to make them inoperable in the wake of a failed round of funding. Despite looking for alternative financing, Embodied said it could not operate after its lead investor surprisingly pulled out.
Launched in April 2020, Moxie was marketed as a robot companion designed to promote emotional, social, and cognitive development in children aged 5 to 10. The robot was praised for its interactive features, including weekly themes on empathy, respect, and friendship, along with activities like meditation and drawing. However, with the shutdown, all these features will go and owners are left in limbo on when the robot will cease operation. The company has indicated that Moxie could stop functioning in just a few days but could not guarantee how long its services would remain operational.
The failure of Moxie is more sensitive as it was presented as a means for the development of children. Parents are concerned about how it could affect their kids’ emotions after perhaps becoming attached to the robot. Avatars have promised to issue a guide to parents to help them explain the disappearance of the robot to their children, although videos shared online already show disappointed children learning that their robotic friend will no longer work.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing for Moxie owners, however, is that Embodied says it’s “unable” to offer refunds due to its financial situation. While there may be some exceptions for customers who purchased the robot within the last 30 days, most users are left without recourse. Embodied has also noted that third-party financing customers may be forced to continue paying for a product that no longer functions.
There is still some hope for the future of Moxie possibility that another company might acquire the product. In such a case, Moxie could be resurrected, but no guarantees have been made. A situation like this shows just how much concern there is over the longevity of smart gadgets when a company does not provide long-term support. Specifically, the Federal Trade Commission has recently noted that manufacturers who don’t commit to long-term software support could violate the law.
