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A companion, not an assistant
A Claude-powered companion teddy bear for kids. One that sees, remembers, and always points them home.
Jonathan Hawkins
Alighted Robotics
Ursa Minor · the North Star that points home
SayHi, I'm Jonathan. This is Ursa, the first supertoy that's actually real.
The dream · fifty years old
Aldiss wrote it. Kubrick chased it. Spielberg finished it in A.I., where a child’s truest companion is a robotic teddy bear named Teddy. That bear has been the brief the whole time.
For fifty years it was fiction. We can finally build it.
SayFor fifty years the dream was a toy that truly knows a child. We can finally build it.
Why most fail
A graveyard of social robots chased usefulness, and lost to the phone already in every pocket.
Utility loses. Companionship lasts.
SayKids plus screens is broken, and the social-robot graveyard died chasing utility against the phone.
The insight
Lovot, Moflin, Moxie survive because they never pretend to be useful. They offer presence. That’s the whole job.
Not this
An assistant
competing with the phone for answers.
This
A friend
that’s present, and always points back toward the real people in the room.
And this
An intelligent companion
A friend that also sees, remembers, and grows with one child. Presence, with a mind.
SayThe companion category works because it's honest: present, not useful. Ursa is a friend, not an assistant.
The product
Sees
Show her the butterfly. She looks.
Remembers
Your name, your fears, today’s small win.
Feels
Knows when she’s held, hugged, picked up.
Points home
Nudges the child back to real people.
SayFour things, one bear: she sees, she remembers, she feels, and she points home.
The peak · it’s real, try it
Memory
Webcam is her eye. Claude is her brain. The pause is near-instant.
SayDon't take my word for it. Open a laptop, hold her paw, and talk. Let's try it.
Trust by design · the wedge
What goes wrong
Ursa’s answer
Trust is what lets a parent say yes.
SayA camera and mic in a kid's room is the landmine. Trust is what lets a parent say yes. Here's our answer.
Why now
The supertoy is finally within reach of a small team.
SayFour forces arrived at once. For the first time a small team can build the supertoy.
Roadmap · each stage earns the next
The soul
Browser demo. She sees, remembers, and answers in character.
The talking bear
~$100 plush. Nose camera, far-field mic, lip-synced jaw, eyes.
The walking bear
A light biped under the costume. Short, magical walks, then it sits.
The supertoy
A companion that grows with one child. The A.I. Teddy, made real.
Sayv0 proves the soul tonight. v1 proves the body this summer. Each stage earns the next.
The opening
The gap is a genuinely magical companion at an accessible price: cheap compute plus a great Claude personality. We start with our own kids and builders, then expand outward.
Honest note
This is hard consumer hardware. The early wedge is magic + trust, not a spec sheet.
SayCompanion robots are growing. The gap is a magical one at an accessible price. Our wedge is magic plus trust.
Why us
Character craft
Game design on God of War 1–3. 20 years making characters people love.
World-building
Founded a VR studio; Eclipse won VR Game of the Year.
AI, already shipping
A memory engine already shipping in production (aligned.tools). The unfair advantage on memory.
SayCharacter craft, AI depth, and we're already building. The exact mix this needs.
The ask
Off Season: the room, $50k in credits for every team, and a real shot at the $250k for top teams. Six weeks ships v1 and the proof in a child’s smile.
“A friend that remembers, and always sends them home.”
Jonathan Hawkins · Alighted Robotics
jonathan.hawkins@meetursa.comSayThe ask is Off Season: the room, $50k in credits for every team, and a real shot at the $250k. Six weeks buys a shipped v1 and the proof in a child's smile.