Anki (American company)
| Anki logo | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Robotics and artificial intelligence |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Founder | Boris Sofman Mark Palatucci Hanns Tappeiner |
| Headquarters | , USA |
| Products | Anki Drive |
| Website | anki.com |
Anki is a consumer robotics and artificial intelligence startup.[1] Anki technology programs physical objects to be intelligent and adaptable in the physical world[2][3] and is designed to solve the problems of positioning, reasoning, and execution in artificial intelligence and robotics. Positioning is the ability to know where an object is in relation to its environment. Reasoning calculates multiple scenarios. Execution is taking the most optimal path to meet an objective.
Anki intends to apply artificial intelligence to real-life scenarios.[1] The company debuted Anki Drive during the 2013 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference keynote, when Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook took the unusual step of ceding the stage early in his presentation to an unknown company.[4] Anki was "handpicked for a coveted slot as the poster child for what unknown developers can do with iOS" (CNET).[3] The company, which some have said is starting a "consumer robotics revolution,"[3][5] received $50 million in Series A and Series B venture funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures, and Two Sigma.[1] Marc Andreessen and Danny Rimer serve on the company's board.[1] In his personal blog, Andreessen called Anki "the best robotics startup I have ever seen."[6]
History
Anki was founded by Boris Sofman, Mark Palatucci, and Hanns Tappeiner, who met in the robotics Ph.D. program at Carnegie Mellon University.[4] Their idea, conceived in 2007 in a Palo Alto, Calif. café, was to build an intelligent gaming system in which multiple robots interact and work together.[4] The founders spent many nights and weekends on the project while still in school, developing the fundamental technology.[4] Anki was officially founded in 2010 and is based in San Francisco.[4]
Company Milestones
- July 2007: The original idea for Anki was conceived in a Palo Alto café.[4]
- May 2009: First preliminary patent filing.
- January 5, 2010: Company incorporated as Anki, Inc.[4]
- June 2011: First office opens in San Francisco.
- September 2011: First employees hired.
- June 10, 2013: Anki gives sneak peek of Anki Drive at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference.[1]
- March 31, 2014: Anki wins the Parent Tested Parent Approved award.
Products
Anki's first product, Anki Drive, was released in Apple stores in the U.S. and Canada, on Apple.com and Anki.com starting Oct. 23, 2013. It retails for $199, with additional cars available for $69.[7] Anki Drive is the first product to use Anki technology and is said to be the first videogame programmed for the physical world.[8] Anki Drive is a racing game that combines an iOS app with physical race cars. Each car is equipped with optical sensors, wireless chips, motors, and artificial intelligence software, designed to analyze thousands of actions every second.[3] The gameplay becomes more immersive and strategic over time. The cars act as characters with individual personality traits and strengths, and users can play against each other or against the Anki system's artificial intelligence.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e Tsotsis, Alexia (June 10, 2013). "Anki Debuts Serious Robotics AI With Fun Racing Game At WWDC, Raises $50M Led By A16Z". TechCrunch. AOL Tech. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
- ^ Dorrier, Jason (11 June 2013). "AI STARTUP ANKI DEBUTS AT WWDC, WOWS WITH IMPRESSIVE TECH, $50 MILLION IN FUNDING". SingularityHUB. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d e Terdiman, Daniel (10 June 2013). "Anki, blessed by Apple, takes AI and robotics to consumers". CNET. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g Fiegerman, Seth (11 June 2013). "Startup's Dream of Launching at an Apple Event". Mashable. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ^ Tach, Dave (5 July 2013). "Why Anki chose to start a consumer robotics revolution with a real world video game at WWDC 2013". Polygon. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
- ^ Andreessen, Marc. "Announcing Anki". Blog post. Marc Andreesseen/MARCA. Retrieved 13 June 2013.
- ^ "Anki announces release date for Anki Drive robotic race cars".
- ^ Weber, Harrison (11 June 2013). "AI startup Anki raised $50M for its iOS-powered driving game, but its vision goes beyond entertainment". TheNextWeb. Retrieved 13 June 2013.