Robotics startup that made cute toy Cozmo shuts down

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)

A startup that tried to advance the dream of intelligent robots in the home with its toy robot Cozmo is shutting down.

San Francisco-based Anki says it’s laying off its employees on Wednesday after failing to raise enough money to keep the business going.

The company said last year it’s sold more than 1.5 million products, including the car-racing game Overdrive and Cozmo, a playful robotic pet. Anki introduced its newest robot, Vector, last year.

It’s one of several high-profile makers of consumer robots to fold in the past year. Boston-based Jibo shut down less than a year after its squat, talking speaker made the cover of Time Magazine. California-based Mayfield Robotics also last year canceled Kuri, a roving home robot.

News of Anki’s closure was first reported by Recode.