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

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

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.

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."