Moxie Libre! Push To Open Source May Keep Moxie Robot Working
Embodied technicians are working on open source software to keep the Moxie robots working after its cloud servers shut down. And: senators call out automakers for opposing right to repair.
We wrote last week about Moxie, the $800 emotional support robot at risk of going dark after its maker, Embodied, announced it was declaring bankruptcy and shutting down the servers that thousands of robots in homes across the globe relied on to function.
That news led to an impassioned response from Moxie owners, who voiced their dismay on platforms like Reddit and implored the company to find a way to keep its Moxie robots working even after it closed its doors.
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Well, it looks as if Moxie’s founders had their ears to the ground. In a statement sent to customers and posted to the company’s LinkedIn page on Friday, December 20th, Embodied said that a group of “former technical team members” from the company was in the process of developing a version of its server software, dubbed “OpenMoxie,” that customers could run locally on a computer they own. “Once available, this community-driven option will enable you (or technically inclined individuals) to maintain Moxie’s basic functionality, develop new features, and modify her capabilities to better suit your needs—without reliance on Embodied’s cloud servers,” the statement said. The news was first reported by Ars Technica.
In the meantime, the company pushed out an over the air (OTA) software update for the Moxie robots that would enable them to connect to- and take commands from a locally run server once the OpenMoxie software becomes available. Customers were urged to install the OTA before Embodied’s cloud servers cease operation.
“Once the cloud servers stop working you will not be able to update your robot,” Embodied warned. “This update will prepare your device for potential local operation in the future even after the cloud servers stop working.”
The company said it is working to develop a “community-driven future” for the Moxie robot.
“We are providing these steps in the spirit of giving you every available option to extend Moxie’s usefulness, reflecting our continued dedication to serving the community that has grown around her,” the statement reads.
Embodied said that, in addition to the OpenMoxie software, it intends to provide instructions for its customers to access and install it, open source “all necessary code and documentation” so that independent developers or community members can “maintain and enhance Moxie independently.”
However, that freedom will come at a price. “Please understand that Embodied cannot provide ongoing support of these efforts after it is released, and that the project will be community-driven and maintained without our direct involvement,” the statement reads. Embodied’s statement makes clear that customers who install the latest OTA update will not enjoy any protections under the company’s warranty and any software and updates it provides are “as is” and that it falls to customers to “assume full responsibility for implementing, maintaining and operation the solution.”
Those conditions had Moxie users in a subreddit channel devoted to the robot sounding alarms that the open source push may be a play to get customers with active warranties to surrender their rights to a full refund from Embodied.
“This is NOT good, read the fine print, if you have warranty (sp) still you are entitled to a full refund,” wrote a user with the handle livevicarious in the /MoxieRobot subreddit on December 20th.
However, other subreddit subscribers pointed out that, with Embodied declaring bankruptcy, customers seeking a refund were destined to wait in line behind Embodied’s other creditors as a bankruptcy judge oversaw the liquidation of the company’s assets. They were unlikely to get a full refund - if anything at all.
“If you want to get a $50 check four years from now after the class actions, go nuts,” wrote the user z4579a. After installing the update, they wrote to say that the Moxie robot was operating normally.
The effort by Embodied parallels those of other companies. In 2018, employees of pioneering Pebble smart watch launched a similar effort after the company was acquired by FitBit in 2016 and its servers subsequently targeted for shut down. The resulting Rebble Alliance (Rebble.io) took on the job of maintaining the Pebble watch code, which became open source, and has maintained the devices since.
Owners of Fisker electric vehicles likewise banded together to form the Fisker Owners Association and negotiate with that company’s creditors for access to software needed to maintain and repair the vehicles after the company declared bankruptcy earlier this year.
While the future for the Moxie robots remains unclear, the latest moves by Embodied have at least given owners of the popular AI-powered robots hope that they will be able to continue using and benefitting from the technology.
“This is the only way we have to keep live Moxie” wrote the /MoxieRobot subscriber with the handle Affectionate_Comb569.
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