Edinburgh edutech pushes button on new Marty the robot after dual funding boost

Robotical, the educational tech firm behind ­Marty the learning robot, has received a double investment boost after surpassing its crowdfunding target and winning an international innovation grant.

Almost 200 people contributed to the oversubscribed funding round for Marty the robot. Picture: Contributed

The firm will now finalise development and begin mass production of the second version of Marty, which teaches coding and robotics skills to children, after almost 200 backers pledged a combined £43,000 via Kickstarter, beating its £30,000 target.

Robotical also secured a global innovators grant from Expo 2020 Dubai last week, ensuring funds to kick-start production of the robot, which is described as a “walking, dancing, eyebrow-wiggling”, low-cost science, technology, ­engineering and mathematics device.

The latest version is packed with new features, including smart sensors that allow Marty to copy movements, obstacle detection, Bluetooth compatibility, sound capability and a "Disco Marty" setting.

Robotical's latest version will include a 'Disco Marty' setting. Picture: Contributed

The Edinburgh firm is aiming to reach 6,000 new students in the next year.

Founder and chief executive Sandy Enoch said: “This money will really allow us to accelerate production of Marty v2, scale up our operations and start some great new initiatives including a robotics competition.

"Having witnessed the joy that Marty has spread in schools, I am looking forward to seeing how pupils and teachers respond to the new features we have been working on."