The shutdown has led to frustration among parents, who shared their concerns on social media, and emotional reactions from children attached to the robot. Some customers, like Carlos Rosaly, noted improvements in their children's linguistic and emotional skills due to interactions with Moxie. Others, like Heather Frazier, who purchased the robot out of curiosity, expressed attachment to the device. While some hope for a revival of the product, possibly through interest from figures like Elon Musk, others are attempting to create an open-source version of the software to keep Moxies operational. Embodied's CEO, Paolo Pirjanian, communicated the shutdown to customers, expressing gratitude to the children who interacted with Moxie.
Key takeaways:
```html
- The Moxie AI robot, initially priced at $1,500 and later reduced to $800, was designed to help children learn social and emotional skills.
- Embodied, the company behind Moxie, announced its shutdown due to a failed funding round, leaving parents to explain the robot's discontinuation to their children.
- Parents and users expressed emotional attachment to Moxie, with some attempting to create an open-source version to keep the robots operational.
- CEO Paolo Pirjanian communicated the shutdown to customers, linking to a letter for children explaining the situation.