Human Computer Lab
Human Computer Lab (HCL) is a Delaware-incorporated, Vancouver-based robotics startup founded in 2025 that builds LeLamp, a playful, expressive robot light using in-browser gesture recognition to introduce general consumers to home robotics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2025
- HeadquartersNewark, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Human Computer Lab does
Human Computer Lab, Inc. (HCL) is a Delaware-incorporated robotics startup, founded in 2025 and operationally based in Vancouver, Canada, that researches and prototypes human-computer interaction technologies for the consumer market. Its flagship product, LeLamp, is a playful, expressive robot light designed to introduce general consumers to home robotics by reducing complexity and intimidation typically associated with the category. LeLamp features an interactive component using in-browser webcam-based computer vision that detects raised-palm gestures in real time, processing video frames locally without transmitting images to HCL servers.
HCL is a single-product company at present, with LeLamp positioned as the beachhead and the firm stating broader exploration of additional robot form factors. The underlying technology stack combines consumer robotics hardware with a privacy-preserving browser-side gesture-recognition pipeline, and the company has published a Privacy Policy and Terms of Use (dated 21 June 2025) governing camera access, data handling, and demo usage. No management team, patents, certifications, or named customers are present in the available source data.
The business model is pre-revenue and oriented toward future consumer hardware sales. Go-to-market is product-led growth: a beta release of LeLamp is planned for December 2025 targeting hobbyists and developers to build community and gather feedback before a broader consumer launch. No pricing has been disclosed. HCL operates with 1-10 employees and has raised approximately $1.4M USD in a pre-seed round co-led by South Park Commons and FR8 (announced September 2025); this capital is earmarked for product development and the LeLamp beta rather than scaled commercialization.
Human Computer Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Human Computer Lab
- Legal name
- Human Computer Lab, Inc.
- Website
- https://humancomputerlab.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2025
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Human Computer Lab (HCL) is a Delaware-incorporated, Vancouver-based robotics startup founded in 2025 that builds LeLamp, a playful, expressive robot light using in-browser gesture recognition to introduce general consumers to home robotics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Human Computer Lab industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Robotics
- NAICS
- Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (334118)
- SIC
- Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Home Companion & Social Robots (CRACARAE)
Keywords
Where Human Computer Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Newark
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Human Computer Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Consumer Robotics Hardware: Pre-revenue startup developing a consumer robot light product. No explicit revenue model disclosed yet; currently in beta development phase with hobbyists and developers.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Human Computer Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Human Computer Lab is developing LeLamp, a playful and expressive robot light designed as an approachable entry point to home robotics for general consumers. The product combines expressive robotic form factors with browser-based computer-vision gesture interaction, and is currently in development with a beta version planned for hobbyists and developers.
Product overview
Human Computer Lab (HCL) is a robotics startup focused on research and prototyping in human-computer interaction. The company is developing LeLamp as its primary consumer product—a playful, expressive robot light intended to make home robotics accessible to everyday consumers. HCL operates as a single-product company, with LeLamp serving as the flagship offering currently in development with a beta version planned for release to hobbyists and developers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LeLamp: A playful, expressive robot light intended to introduce consumers to home robotics.
Products and services
- LeLamp A playful, expressive robot light designed as an accessible, consumer-facing entry point to home robotics. It is intended for general consumers interested in bringing robotics into the home, with a beta version planned for hobbyists and developers.
Companies that use Human Computer Lab
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Human Computer Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature1 record
Human Computer Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Human Computer Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- UBTECH (Alpha / Cruzr lines): UBTECH produces consumer and education humanoid/companion robots, providing an incumbent benchmark on consumer robotics hardware, supply chain, and pricing that HCL must compete against.
- Astro (Amazon): Amazon's Astro is a broad-incumbent home robot that competes for the same consumer 'home robotics' mindshare LeLamp targets, but with vastly deeper capital, ecosystem, and distribution.
- aibo (Sony): Sony's aibo is a long-running home companion robot from a major incumbent that defines the upper bound of consumer expectations for expressive home robots.
Direct peers
- EMO (Living.AI): Living.AI's EMO is a desktop expressive AI companion robot with animated lights and personality, directly comparable to LeLamp as a small, expressive home/social robot targeting consumer entry points.
- Vector (Anki / Digital Dream Labs): Vector is a small home companion robot with expressive animations and personality, the closest direct precedent for a playful, expressive home robot light/cobot of the type LeLamp targets.
- Cozmo (Anki): Cozmo was Anki's flagship palm-sized social robot with expressive behavior and consumer-friendly positioning; it sets the canonical product template LeLamp is iterating on.
- Jibo: Jibo was a social home companion robot marketed to mainstream consumers, illustrating the same 'expressive home robot for everyday users' category thesis HCL is pursuing with LeLamp.
- LOVOT (Groove X): LOVOT is a premium expressive home companion robot focused on emotional engagement rather than utility, the most relevant premium benchmark for LeLamp's 'expressive' positioning.
Emerging players
- Aeolus Robotics: Aeolus builds home service/household robots with HCI focus; it overlaps with HCL in home human-robot interaction but targets assistant functionality rather than expressive lighting.
- Embodied (formerly Elemental Path / Moxie): Embodied builds socially expressive companion robots (e.g., Moxie) for everyday consumers, making it a direct emerging-player comparable in expressive home/social robotics design and go-to-market.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Human Computer Lab social profiles
Digital presenceHuman Computer Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Human Computer Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Human Computer Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Human Computer Lab 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 Human Computer Lab
What does Human Computer Lab do?
Human Computer Lab is developing LeLamp, a playful and expressive robot light designed as an approachable entry point to home robotics for general consumers. The product combines expressive robotic form factors with browser-based computer-vision gesture interaction, and is currently in development with a beta version planned for hobbyists and developers.
Is Human Computer Lab a public or private company?
Human Computer Lab is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Human Computer Lab founded?
Human Computer Lab was founded in 2025. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Human Computer Lab based?
Human Computer Lab is headquartered in Newark, United States, in the North America region.
How does Human Computer Lab make money?
One revenue line is on record: consumer Robotics Hardware.
Who are Human Computer Lab's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are UBTECH (Alpha / Cruzr lines), Astro (Amazon) and aibo (Sony). Direct peers are EMO (Living.AI), Vector (Anki / Digital Dream Labs), Cozmo (Anki), Jibo and LOVOT (Groove X). Emerging players are Aeolus Robotics and Embodied (formerly Elemental Path / Moxie).
Does Human Computer Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Human Computer Lab.
What industry is Human Computer Lab in?
Human Computer Lab's product category is Consumer Robotics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACARAE, Home Companion & Social Robots. Its NAICS code is 334118 and its SIC code is 3600.