The Moxie Robot: Taking Robotics to the Next Level

With a blue body, big anime-like eyes, and a teardrop-shaped head, Moxie Robot will be your child's friend. The robot companion is designed to support the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children aged 5-10 through play-based learning and lessons in turn-taking and eye contact. Moxie was launched in 2020 and was developed by Embodied, a robotics company based in Pasadena, California.

Moxie is a robot companion whose mission is to learn how to be a best friend to humans. From Global Robotics Laboratory, or G.R.L for short. Moxie needed a real robot mentor, and G.R.L. chose this mentor as a child. Designed to work with all children with autism, anxiety, depression, and other children who need to learn social, emotional, and life skills, Moxie and her mentors do a variety of tasks to help them learn and grow.

What is a Moxie robot?

Moxie by Embodied is a robot for kids that engages children in G.R.L. for 20 minutes a day. in tasks. Its mentor, your child, helps Moxie learn to be a good human friend by understanding social cues, practicing patience, regulating emotions, and using proper listening and conversation skills. Using video and audio technology, Moxie can see, hear and even speak in a realistic way. 

Programmed to directly meet the needs and interests of educators, their progress is updated and tracked in the parent app, which then adjusts Moxie accordingly and provides parents with useful tips to complement the learning journey.

Moxie requires a Wi-Fi connection and a smartphone running at least iOS 12 or Android 6.0, and there's no need to mess around with cables because Moxie is wireless.

Incredible technology

The technology Embodied used to create Moxie deserves a standing ovation. Its apparent understanding and corresponding responses are so real that I often forget that Moxie isn't actually alive. From the facial expressions to the body language that matches the emotions being conveyed, Moxie feels like she's really feeling what she wants her child to feel.

With a seemingly endless capacity for human interaction programmed in, I still can't believe how easily Moxie responds to my son in various conversations, even when the topic of conversation seems to come out of nowhere. For example, when his son asked Mo Xie how he slept last night, Mo Xie replied, "I slept well. I feel very rested. Thanks for your question, Bennett. did you sleep well"

Sometimes Moxie does not understand or reacts inadequately, this will cause misunderstandings and remind you that it is still learning and it does not matter if it does not understand something; whether it's from a technical point of view or in a way that kids can understand, it hits the nail on the head.

Encourages friendly connections

Moxie encourages children to use their listening skills, patience, verbal communication, and tasks that satisfy children at their level while creating a safe place for children to be themselves. 

For example, when my son gets frustrated with an assignment, Moxie quickly reassures him that it's okay to feel that way and asks if he wants to do something else. When my son said yes, Moxie led him into guided meditations that encouraged his mind and body to relax. Although basic, 

Moxie supports social-emotional growth even in stressful times. As the mission progresses, it becomes clear that part of Moxie's appeal to children is that, unlike authoritative adults who teach children skills, Moxie craves the skills children learn; putting children in control and empowering them to feel important, smart, and accomplished.

Privacy could be an issue

As with almost all advanced technologies, there are concerns about monitoring individuals' privacy. Although Moxie is COPPA certified, Embodied collects and stores audio and video information so that Moxie can properly recognize and interact with children, and Embodied can use this data to improve its technology. There is no way around this if you want to use Moxie and parents must verify their identity using the last four digits of their social security number, driver's license information, or credit card information to accept the policy.

Embodied, on the other hand, has clarified that Moxie's "video data is collected only in the robot and never reaches the company or the cloud. When audio data is collected, it is also stripped of identifying information. “Even if it's limited, individual users can decide how they feel about data collection, but I still long for the days when this practice doesn't have to be a problem.

Should you try the Moxie robot with your child?

While the baby robot market is still in its infancy, it's clear that Embodied has built Moxie with some pretty incredible technology. Its social and emotional learning benefits can be huge for a child's development, and the fun is guaranteed. However, it is important to consider whether your child will be able to play with the Moxie hands-free, as the Moxie is a financial investment that can be expensive if it breaks.

But as long as you are happy with this data collection agreement with Moxie, I would definitely recommend Moxie. I am so impressed that even though our beta period is over, I will probably continue to rent Moxie so my son's mission can continue. Children learn and grow so quickly, and for a struggling child, any extra help can only help in everyday life and in the future. I'm open to the idea of ​​a robot toy providing this kind of support

How much does Moxie cost?

Those looking to try or purchase Moxie can choose from three different package options to suit different budgets and use cases.

• Lifetime subscription: If you want a one-time purchase without worrying about recurring payments, Moxie has a lifetime subscription for $1,499. Including shipping, financing options allow for monthly payments of up to $136. There's also an optional $149 warranty that adds two additional years of damage. 

• Moxie Rental: If you want to try before you buy, Moxie Rental is available for $149 per month. The rental fee includes a one-time service fee of $59 (including return shipping) and a security deposit of $119. To offset this additional cost, if you decide to purchase a Moxie Lifetime Membership in the future, 70% of the payment will be transferred to the full purchase.

• Monthly subscriptions: The $39 monthly subscription option appears to be gone in favor of the lifetime subscription, but those who purchased Moxie at its previous $999 price may still be offered recurring payments. 

While these options don't come cheap by most metrics, parents and their children pay dearly for cutting-edge social experiences.

I really enjoy spending time with Moksi. I have a feeling it will appeal to many curious children. It will also get better over time, Pirjanian said, as the company produces more content and eventually opens third-party app stores. At that point, Embodied can partner with book publishers, making Moxie an expert on the next big Harry Potter-style trend. It's easy to see a world where many kids want their own robot companion. Let's hope Embodied and others ease parents' money pains.

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