MOVIA Robotics
MOVIA Robotics builds Robot-Assisted Instruction software that delivers evidence-based therapeutic interventions to children with autism and other special needs via humanoid robots, sold as Teacher's Aide, HomePal, and FDA-registered TheraPal subscriptions to schools, families, therapists, and government programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersBristol, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What MOVIA Robotics does
MOVIA Robotics (legal entity MOVIA, Inc.) is a Bristol, Connecticut-based private company founded in 2010 by Timothy Gifford, an internationally recognized researcher whose work originated at the University of Connecticut. MOVIA builds Robot-Assisted Instruction (RAI), a software platform that delivers evidence-based therapeutic and educational interventions to children with autism spectrum disorder and other special needs through partnered humanoid robots. The company integrates multiple practices recognized by the National Professional Development Center on ASD — including Discrete Trial Training, naturalistic intervention, prompting, reinforcement, visual supports, and social-skills training — alongside an embodied-cognition design philosophy that uses robot movement and gesture to support cognitive and behavioral development.
The product portfolio consists of the unified RAI software stack exposed through three deployment variants: Teacher's Aide for schools and educational institutions, HomePal for home and family use, and TheraPal for clinical and therapeutic settings (the latter FDA-registered as a Digital Health Aide, with an FDA-registered Progress Tracker data system). The software is hardware-agnostic across MOVIA's robot family — NAO, iPal, Kebbi, and Pepper — a positioning the company highlights as unique in the market. Underlying proprietary assets include a joint patent with the University of Connecticut on therapeutic techniques in robot-assisted autism education and a multi-domain curriculum covering daily living skills, learning readiness, social-emotional learning, and academics.
MOVIA monetizes through a hybrid model combining monthly RAI subscriptions (entry-level $199/month), one-time hardware sales, and bundled professional services (training, implementation, and ongoing specialist support). It operates a multi-channel GTM: enterprise field sales to school districts and government programs (notably the U.S. Department of Defense, which selected MOVIA for deployment across DoD schools worldwide in 2021), inside sales for mid-market institutions and therapy practices, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce via shopmovia.com for home users. The company completed its first institutional funding round — a $5 million seed led by Clean Feet Investors / ZFC Capital Partners II — in May 2021.
MOVIA Robotics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MOVIA Robotics
- Legal name
- MOVIA, Inc.
- Website
- https://moviarobotics.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- MOVIA Robotics builds Robot-Assisted Instruction software that delivers evidence-based therapeutic interventions to children with autism and other special needs via humanoid robots, sold as Teacher's Aide, HomePal, and FDA-registered TheraPal subscriptions to schools, families, therapists, and government programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MOVIA Robotics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Assistive Education Robotics
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Autism Assistive Technology & Learning Tools (Educational) (EDAKAKAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource) (EDAKAKAC), Autism Executive Functioning & Academic Skills Intervention (EDAKAKAI), Autism Support Instructional Materials (Structured Teaching, Visual Supports) (EDAGAMAK)
Keywords
Where MOVIA Robotics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bristol
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
MOVIA Robotics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- RAI Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription model for Robot-Assisted Instruction systems. Systems start at $199/month. Includes access to proprietary software, curriculum content, and support services. Subscription tiers include Teacher's Aide (schools), HomePal (home), and TheraPal (therapy).
- Hardware Sales: Sale of robotic hardware platforms (NAO, iPal, Kebbi robots) that work with MOVIA's RAI software. Customers can purchase robots as one-time hardware investment with accompanying software subscriptions.
- Professional Services: Included support services with system purchase including training, implementation support, and ongoing technical assistance from specially-trained experts. Onboarding and curriculum customization services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | RAI systems starting as low as $199/month for subscription-based access |
| Subscription | Monthly | Teacher's Aide for Schools - Robot-Assisted Instruction for educational settings |
| Subscription | Monthly | HomePal for Home Use - Robot-Assisted Instruction for families |
| Subscription | Monthly | TheraPal for Therapy - FDA-registered Digital Health Aide |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
MOVIA Robotics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MOVIA Robotics develops and sells Robot-Assisted Instruction (RAI), a proprietary software platform that combines humanoid robotics with evidence-based therapeutic and educational interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder and other special needs. The company packages the RAI platform into three subscription variants—Teacher's Aide for schools, HomePal for the home, and TheraPal (FDA-registered Digital Health Aide) for clinical settings—and supports multiple robotic hardware platforms (NAO, iPal, Kebbi, Pepper). Customers subscribe monthly (systems start at $199/month) and receive the robot hardware, proprietary software, curriculum content, and bundled training and support services.
Product overview
MOVIA Robotics offers a unified Robot-Assisted Instruction (RAI) platform with three deployment variants — Teacher's Aide for schools, HomePal for the home, and TheraPal for clinical/therapeutic settings — all powered by the same core RAI software and supporting the same portfolio of robot hardware (NAO, iPal, Kebbi). The company also provides a Digital Companion variant. The RAI system delivers structured, evidence-based therapeutic instruction through humanoid robot companions, integrating artificial intelligence for adaptive, personalized learning across academic, social emotional, and daily living skill areas for children with autism and other special needs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Teacher's Aide: Robot-Assisted Instruction system for schools with preprogrammed curriculum developed by educational professionals.
- HomePal
- TheraPal
- Digital Companion
Products and services
- Robot-Assisted Instruction (RAI) Platform Core proprietary software platform enabling robotic assistive instruction for children with autism and other special needs. Integrates movement-based therapies, social-emotional learning, and discrete trial training to deliver consistent, non-judgmental therapeutic interactions via partnered robot hardware; supports deployment across NAO, iPal, Kebbi, and Pepper robots.
- Teacher's Aide Robot-Assisted Instruction system variant for schools and educational organizations featuring a preprogrammed curriculum developed by educational professionals for academic and social-emotional learning. Customization tools allow teachers to add lessons; bundled support from MOVIA specialists at no extra charge.
- HomePal Robot-Assisted Instruction system variant for the home environment featuring a nonjudgmental, friendly robot persona and an expertly-developed academic curriculum tailored to individual needs. Includes family and educational specialist support; available via shopmovia.com for direct family purchase.
- TheraPal Robot-Assisted Intervention system variant for clinical and home therapy settings, registered with the FDA as a Digital Health Aide. Combines robotic hardware and software to deliver therapeutic interventions with a Progress Tracker that collects session data for monitoring child progress. Includes TheraPal Home and TheraPal Clinical Assist Aide deployment versions.
- Digital Companion Companion robot product variant for children with autism and special needs, providing interactive engagement and learning support.
- Kebbi Robot Educational robot integrating artificial intelligence, software, and hardware to provide facial expressions, body movements, and communicative interactions. Provides interactive capabilities for home or school environments.
- iPal Robot The tallest robot in MOVIA's family at 3ft tall, designed for use in front of classrooms or groups of children; can lead groups through physical activities, storytelling, or other lessons.
- NAO Robot Humanoid robot favored in the educational and special needs community, featuring fully articulating arms and legs. Supports speech recognition in 20 languages, face and object recognition via cameras, and 25 degrees of freedom for movement.
Quantifiable outcome
- Children show increased verbalizations, enhanced joint attention bids, improved engagement, greater mastery of skills, and improved generalization of skills to everyday situations (based on IEP reporting and anecdotal evidence)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use MOVIA Robotics
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
MOVIA Robotics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability8 records
Feature6 records
MOVIA Robotics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
MOVIA Robotics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
MOVIA Robotics social profiles
Digital presenceMOVIA Robotics compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
MOVIA Robotics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MOVIA Robotics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
MOVIA Robotics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MOVIA Robotics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MOVIA Robotics
What does MOVIA Robotics do?
MOVIA Robotics develops and sells Robot-Assisted Instruction (RAI), a proprietary software platform that combines humanoid robotics with evidence-based therapeutic and educational interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder and other special needs. The company packages the RAI platform into three subscription variants—Teacher's Aide for schools, HomePal for the home, and TheraPal (FDA-registered Digital Health Aide) for clinical settings—and supports multiple robotic hardware platforms (NAO, iPal, Kebbi, Pepper). Customers subscribe monthly (systems start at $199/month) and receive the robot hardware, proprietary software, curriculum content, and bundled training and support services.
Is MOVIA Robotics a public or private company?
MOVIA Robotics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was MOVIA Robotics founded?
MOVIA Robotics was founded in 2010. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is MOVIA Robotics based?
MOVIA Robotics is headquartered in Bristol, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does MOVIA Robotics make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. RAI Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are hardware Sales and professional Services.
Does MOVIA Robotics have an API?
No public API is recorded for MOVIA Robotics.
What industry is MOVIA Robotics in?
MOVIA Robotics's product category is Assistive Education Robotics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAKAKAM, Autism Assistive Technology & Learning Tools (Educational), with a secondary code of EDAKAKAC, Autism Classroom & School Program Support (Inclusion/Resource). Its NAICS code is 611710 and its SIC code is 8200.