RobotLAB is an American educational technology company that manufactures robotics and virtual reality products for K-12 and higher education, as well as business robots for retail, hospitality, and medical companies.[1][2] The company distributes the Pepper and NAO[3] humanoid robots developed by SoftBank Robotics.[4][5] They are headquartered in Dallas, Texas.[6][7]
In addition to distributing SoftBank’s Pepper, Nao,[10] and Whiz robots,[4][5][11][12] which can be used as personal assistants and educational tools, RobotLAB also provides educational robots designed for use in K-12 and other classrooms.[1] Their robots are programmed to help instructors teach subjects such as STEM.[13][14][15]
In 2020, Google announced their discontinuation of their virtual field trips app Google Expeditions. RobotLAB, as Google's partner for Expeditions, created a substitute in partnership with Avantis. The Google Expeditions alternative was named VR Expeditions 2.0.[8][9] RobotLAB also provides robots for assistance for use in retail, medical[16] and other types of businesses.[17]
RobotLAB provides hotel robots capable of delivering items to guests, sanitizing rooms, and handling luggage, with LG Electronics serving as the managing entity of its commercial deployment in North America.[18]
History
RobotLAB was founded by Elad Inbar,[17] who is also the CEO of Robot App Store, under the name RobotsLAB in Israel in 2007.[19] The company was originally conceptualized as the educational division of Robot App Store.[20][21] The company eventually spun off into a separate entity and relocated to San Francisco in 2011 and changed its name to RobotLAB Inc.[19]
The company developed a STEM teaching tool, called the RobotsLAB Box.[20] RobotLAB won Robotic Business Review's Game Changer Award for Education in 2013.[22][23]
In 2016, RobtLAB received the Inc 5000 fastest-growing private company award and also ranked first in educational technology category.[30]
In 2020, RobotLAB released VR Expeditions 2.0, an alternative to Google's Expeditions app and also partnered with Avantis to develop applications for ClassVR, a VR platform designed for use in the classroom.[8]
In 2021, RobotLAB became the distributor of their Pepper, Nao, and Whiz robots.[4][5][11][12] In the same year, the Roanoke County Public Library partnered with RobotLAB to create content and programming for Pepper robots used for library purposes.[6][31]
RobotLAB also partnered with Curious Technologies, in 2021, to distribute the Elias robot model, which is an artificial intelligence designed for language learning.[32]
In 2023, RobotLAB introduced a franchise model to expand its national footprint, allowing entrepreneurs to open and operate RobotLAB locations across the United States. This model complements the company's organic growth through corporate-owned locations and aims to accelerate scalability.[33]
