Meet Familiar: The AI Robot Pet That Could Replace Your Dog or Cat

Colin Angle, the robotics pioneer behind the Roomba vacuum, has introduced a groundbreaking AI-powered robot pet that could one day replace dogs or cats in homes. On Monday, Angle unveiled a four-legged prototype of this artificial companion, named Familiar.

Designed to resemble a bulldog-sized creature with doe-like eyes, bear cub ears, and touch-sensitive faux fur, Familiar mimics animal behavior with emotive sounds and movements. It stretches in greeting, inviting interaction, and can follow its owner around the home.

“We chose a form factor that’s not a human, not a dog, not a cat, because we wanted to steer away from all of those preconceptions,” Angle explained. He leads Familiar Machines Magic, a startup developing the technology, and previously served as longtime CEO of iRobot, the company behind the Roomba.

Advances in artificial intelligence have made such lifelike robots possible—something Angle noted wouldn’t have been feasible when he co-founded iRobot in 1990 or launched the first Roomba in 2002.

How Familiar Works

Familiar is powered by cutting-edge AI, including generative AI inspired by tools like ChatGPT. It learns from interactions, adapting its behavior to its owner’s habits and preferences. While it won’t speak, it responds to audio cues through its “ears” and can understand spoken commands.

“The challenge is to make something that’s not a watch-me toy,” Angle said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is about having something that you want to hug, you want to pet. When it’s happy, that makes you happy. And it is large enough or mobile enough to follow you to the kitchen or drag you off the couch and take a walk.”

Angle emphasized that Familiar represents a new category of robotics: “I couldn’t have done this six months ago.”

From Roomba to Familiar

Angle led iRobot for 25 years, transforming Roomba into the first widely adopted home robot. However, increased competition—particularly from China—challenged its market dominance. In 2024, Amazon abandoned its plan to acquire the struggling Massachusetts-based company, leading Angle to step down as CEO and chairman.

Familiar Machines was founded shortly after, operating in “stealth” mode in Woburn, Massachusetts, until its public debut at The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything conference in New York.

Target Audience: The Pet-Less Retired

While Familiar isn’t yet available for purchase, Angle has identified a key demographic: retired individuals who may no longer want the responsibility of caring for a live pet.

“Not because people suddenly stop enjoying pets, but the fear and obligation of caring for them are such that people are very reluctant to get new pets at older ages,” Angle said.

Inspired by Folklore, Not Sci-Fi

Unlike many robotics engineers who draw inspiration from science fiction, Angle’s vision for Familiar has roots in folklore. The concept of a “familiar”—a supernatural companion—has long been a part of cultural storytelling, predating modern technology.