Most Innovative Companies

Anki

In 2010, graduates of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute formed Anki to create consumer entertainment experiences. Some six years later, the world was introduced to Cozmo, a cute, socially intelligent, vehicular robot that learns, evolves, and becomes more sophisticated with use. A recent upgrade to Anki’s Cozmo app lets kids control the robot with a drag-and-drop interface that transitions to real programming languages—a feature Anki hopes will encourage young kids to code and—who knows?—maybe go on to create a next-generation robot that makes Cozmo obsolete. In August 2018, Anki announced a new affordably priced robot, Vector, funded by a Kickstarter campaign that ended in early September with close to $1.9 million raised. Vector is a robot that feigns social awareness--a highly intelligent robot aware of his surroundings through touch, sight, and sound.

Lists

2015: Top 50, Gaming, Robotics

Data

headquarters: San Francisco, CA

Anki On The Web

Stories about Anki

You can buy Anki’s Vector robot helper now

Fast Company Magazine

Anki’s best-selling toy bot just got a whole lot smarter

Robotics pioneer Anki boosted its cute toy bot with new level of artificial intelligence.

Anki’s best-selling toy bot just got a whole lot smarter

Amazon’s Alexa will ride along in Anki’s Vector robot

Most Creative People

Can emotional AI make Anki’s new robot into a lovable companion?

Known for its hyperactive toys, the company spent years developing technologies to tackle its greatest challenge yet–subtlety.

Can emotional AI make Anki’s new robot into a lovable companion?

The heads of Wieden+Kennedy’s groundbreaking tech division are leaving

Reddit’s First-Ever Interactive Livestream Stars A Very Lost Robot

Robotics startup Anki’s popular toy Cozmo is boldly rolling where marketers have long feared to tread for a bold campaign from Wieden+Kennedy Lodge.

Reddit’s First-Ever Interactive Livestream Stars A Very Lost Robot

How “Minority Report” Designer Helped Create The Toy Car Of The Future

When the engineers behind Anki began designing their robotic toy cars, they turned to a well-known Hollywood designer for help.

How “Minority Report” Designer Helped Create The Toy Car Of The Future

Impact

Before Tom’s of Maine could go zero waste, it had to figure out how to compost toothpaste

Puerto Rico just passed a bill to require 100% renewable electricity by 2050

This startup built a device to figure out if prescription drugs are fake

Creativity

The launch of Apple TV+ is star-studded but shrouded in mystery

This short film about AI actors mocks our excitement about the next big thing

Apple’s Special Event intro is a psychedelic ode to Apple’s own advertising

Co.Design

These architecture students redesigned Harry Potter’s world, and it’s magic

Facebook doesn’t get it. Privacy starts with people

Google’s latest pet project uses design to toy with your brain

Work Life

Ask yourself these 5 questions to boost your resilience

The bias against pretty women at work

These are the lessons I learned when my husband became the primary caregiver