SUMMARY:

 

Codey is a child-sized social humanoid robot developed by Mind Children, a robotics startup founded in 2023 by Ben Goertzel and Chris Kudla. Standing approximately 3 feet (91.4 cm) tall, Codey is designed to support human connection through conversation, expressive facial animations, and gestures rather than heavy industrial work. Its wheeled base prioritizes stability and indoor mobility over human-like bipedal walking. The current system is a prototype intended for future applications in healthcare, education, and hospitality. Mind Children is refining the hardware and onboard safety systems, with pilot deployments planned for 2027.

 

EDITORIAL:

 

Codey is designed as a socially interactive humanoid robot that prioritizes safety, accessibility, and natural communication. Its compact, approximately 3-foot-tall form factor makes it suitable for environments where a large industrial humanoid would be impractical. An expressive face, eye contact, gestures, and conversational AI are intended to make interactions approachable for children, older adults, patients, and hotel guests.

Unlike bipedal humanoids built for walking, lifting, or factory automation, Codey uses a wheeled base designed to maintain stability and reduce the risk of falls. Mind Children emphasizes a modular, serviceable construction intended to support affordable manufacturing and long-term maintenance. The current prototype uses 3D-printed components.

 

Codey's intended capabilities include conversational assistance, educational support, wellbeing check-ins, and escalation to a human when something appears wrong. In healthcare settings, the company envisions the robot supporting people when caregivers are unavailable; in education, it is intended to provide patient, repetitive learning assistance; and in hospitality, it is designed to help guests with questions and local information. These are target applications, not evidence of a fully validated commercial deployment.

 

Mind Children is pursuing a lower-cost approach to social robotics, focusing on human interaction rather than complex bipedal locomotion or heavy physical manipulation. The company has discussed a target production cost of approximately US$10,000 per robot, although this remains a target rather than a confirmed retail price. As of the company's current product page, Codey is not available for purchase, although Mind Children welcomes partnership opportunities, events, and pilot programs.

 

SPECIFICATIONS:
 

Dimensions & Build

Height: Approximately 3 ft (91.4 cm)

Weight: Not published.

Developer: Mind Children

Founders: Ben Goertzel and Chris Kudla

Development Started: Company founded in 2023

Robot Type: Compact social humanoid robot

Construction

Modular, serviceable design

Current prototype uses 3D-printed parts

Designed for lower-cost manufacturing and maintenance

Exterior Design

Expressive face

Large eyes and facial animations

Human-oriented appearance intended to encourage conversation

Gesture and expression capabilities

Intended Environments

Homes

Healthcare facilities

Schools and classrooms

Hotels

Other public-facing spaces

Commercial Status

Prototype; not currently available for purchase through the official website.

Mobility

Locomotion: Wheeled mobile base, not a bipedal walking system

Base Design: Secure, stability-focused wheeled platform designed to reduce the risk of falling

Degrees of Freedom: Not published

Walking Speed: Maximum wheeled travel speed not published

Turning Radius: Not published

Obstacle Avoidance: Environmental awareness involving people and objects is described by the company, but detailed performance data has not been published.

Navigation: Intended for indoor operation

Step Height: Not published

Stair-Climbing Capability: Not established

Running Capability: Not applicable to the wheeled configuration

Manipulation

Arms and Hands: Upper-body humanoid form; detailed actuator and hand specifications not published

Primary Interaction Methods

Conversation

Facial expressions

Gestures

Social engagement

Object Manipulation: No verified payload or dexterous manipulation specifications available.

Actuator Type: Not published

Peak Joint Torque: Not published

Maximum Arm Payload: Not published

Grip Force: Not published

Human Interaction: Designed to support approachable interactions with children and adults, with safety as a core design consideration.

Perception & Sensors

Documented Design Capabilities

Tracking people and objects

Eye contact and face-oriented social interaction

Conversational interaction

Awareness intended to help avoid collisions

Cameras: Exact configuration not published

Depth Camera: Not confirmed

LiDAR: Not published

Microphone Array: Not published

Force/Torque Sensors: Not published

IMU / Gyroscope: Not published

Environmental Awareness: Sensor implementation details and detection performance remain unpublished.

Emotional Recognition: The robot is designed for social interaction, but reliable emotion-recognition performance has not been established.

Compute & AI

AI Architecture: AI-enabled conversational and social interaction platform

AI Framework: Uses open-source AI technologies; complete software stack not publicly published

Natural-Language Interaction: Designed to converse in ordinary language

Expressive Behavior: Facial expressions, gestures, and conversational responses

Memory: Relationship-building memory features are planned; architecture details have not been published

Autonomy: Intended to support independent social interactions

Cloud vs. Onboard Processing: Not fully documented

AI Compute: Not published

Middleware: Not published

API / SDK: Public availability not confirmed

Programming Languages: Not published

Safety Systems: Onboard safety systems are part of the prototype development roadmap

Battery & Power

Battery Capacity: Not published

Battery Chemistry: Not published

Runtime: Not published

Charging Time: Not published

Battery Swapping: Not confirmed

Power Consumption: Not published

Energy Efficiency: No verified quantitative measurements available

Connectivity

Wi-Fi: Not published

Bluetooth: Not published

Ethernet: Not published

USB / HDMI: Not published

Cloud Connectivity: Not publicly specified

Remote Monitoring: Not documented in sufficient detail

Privacy & Data Security: Mind Children states that privacy and secure handling of user data are priorities. Detailed technical documentation has not been published.

Applications

Healthcare & Elder Care

Wellbeing check-ins

Social interaction and companionship

Assistance during caregiver absences

Escalation to a human when necessary

Support for aging in place

Education

Classroom learning assistance

Repetitive practice and personalized explanations

Conversational engagement

Supplemental support for teachers

Hospitality

Guest interaction

Reception and visitor assistance

Local information support

Routine question answering

Social Interaction

Conversation and companionship

Facial expressions and gestures

Engagement with children, older adults, and visitors

Important Limitation: These are intended applications and should not be interpreted as proof of certification, large-scale deployment, or replacement of caregivers and teachers.

Safety & Design Philosophy

Stable Base: Wheeled platform designed to reduce fall-related risks

Human Awareness: Designed to track people and objects while moving

Child-Friendly Interaction: Intended to communicate appropriately with children and adults

Serviceability: Modular construction designed to simplify maintenance

Mass Manufacturing: Intended for lower-cost manufacturing at scale

Safety Validation: Detailed test results and certifications have not been publicly published

Development Roadmap

Phase 1 – Prototyping (Current)

Refine hardware and onboard safety systems for reliable indoor operation.

Phase 2 – Piloting (2027)

Pilot deployments in care and education environments.

Phase 3 – Manufacturing

Scale manufacturing and software platforms to support more affordable production.

Pricing & Availability

Current Price: No confirmed retail price

Availability: Not currently available for purchase

Target Production Cost: Approximately US$10,000 per robot, though this is a target rather than a confirmed sales price

Partnerships: Mind Children welcomes inquiries regarding partnerships, events, and pilot programs

Contact for Current Pricing and Technical Details

For the latest information, contact Mind Children regarding:

Production dimensions

Weight and degrees of freedom

Processor and AI compute

Battery specifications

Sensor configuration

API / SDK availability

Privacy and security documentation

Safety certification status

Pilot-program availability

Production pricing and service costs

 

Image: Mind Children

 

Company Source:

https://mindchildren.com/