(Photograph courtesy of Roybi, and used with permission.)

 

Roybi Robot is cute, interactive--and covering brand-new ground.

As a "smart" toy, about the size of a small teddy bear, this robot is customizable to young users, ages three to seven.

Designed to teach language and STEM principles, Roybi uses AI to learn a child's interests.  Once customized, it plays games, tells stories and sings songs--all involving a lesson.  And through facial analysis, it can tell if a child enjoys the lessons and evaluate the young student's response!

In addition, the robot "learns", through artificial intelligence, as the child grows.

Elnaz Sarraf is the founder and CEO of Roybi Robot, which is a Mountain View-based startup.  While Elnaz says her startup is a "very small" company, the accolades she's garnered are anything but.

Since Roybi started, in September 2017, they've won multiple honors.   These include first place in Xiaomi's 2019 Silicon Valley Competition, receiving the 2019 Tech for Good award at Pluralsight LIVE's 2019 Create the Future awards, and being on the cover of Time magazine in December 2019!

And even since we recorded this interview, Elnaz and her team have come up with a new innovation.

According to the Roybi Robot website, there's now a free virtual character, "Docbi", who teaches kids principles of staying healthy during the pandemic.

Elnaz shared the story of Roybi, explained how the robot works and offered a look at her vision for the future.
On this edition of Over Coffee®, you will hear:


How Elnaz's own educational journey inspired her to become an innovator at the intersection of art and science (she's a graphic artist, and an engineer!);


How Elnaz came to create Roybi;


What happens as Roybi begins to interact with a child, and what the child can learn;


Some of the new recent upgrades the team has added;


Roybi's AI "learning process";


How Roybi adjusts its content to "grow" with the child;


How the robot analyzes a child's emotions;


The robot's technique for teaching languages;


Elnaz's best creative challenge, designing Roybi (and what she found most fun!);


Her vision for the ways Roybi can change the future of education;


Which of Roybi's multiple accolades Elnaz found most exciting'


What she and her team need most, in terms of support, to continue making their vision a reality.