You can join now our Referral Program!
You can earn $65 credit towards our campaign every time one of your referrals purchases a BUDDY from $649. Tell your friends to pre-order now at so you could potentially get your BUDDY fully refunded!
Recently featured in:
VIDEO: "Buddy is a really, really, ridiculously cute family robot" - Lucas Matney, TechCrunch
VIDEO: "Buddy the robot protector looks like R2-D2's first cousin" - Stephen Beacham, CNET
VIDEO: "Robot pet-sitters?" - Scott Kirsner, The Boston Globe
VIDEO: "With Jibo and now Buddy, Boston is becoming a social-robot mecca" - David Harris, Boston Business Journal
VIDEO: "Buddy robot snubs creator" - Dan Simmons, BBC newsVIDEO: "Buddy the robot is 'more useful than an iPhone’" - Anthony Cuthbertson, International Business Times
"Buddy whisks around on wheels and casters while JIBO, another social robot option, swivels harmlessly on your desk or floor" - Dominic Basulto, The Washington Post
"Buddy marks an advance in the progression of agents from Siri to Amazon Echo, as it moves and interacts proactively"- Ross Rubin, Venture Beat
"Downloading apps on your own personal robot may become as common as downloading apps on your smartphone" - Cadie Thompson, Business Insider
"Rolling Buddy robot may just kill you with cuteness" - Lance Ulanoff, Mashable
Open source and easy to use, BUDDY protects your home, entertains your kids, & helps you stay connected with the ones you love.
For every pack concerned, if you want more than one unit of it, please add the same amount including shipping.
Blue Frog Robotics SDK for BUDDY
Here at Blue Frog Robotics, we believe that an awesome team is the key to an incredible project.
In addition to our core team, we have partnered with industry experts, notably with Jabil Circuit Inc. (JBL), the third largest global Electronic Manufacturing Services (EMS) company based in US ($15.8 billion FY14 Revenue).
Now we’re excited to build a product that can change the way people interact with robots.
BUDDY is the brainchild of Rodolphe Hasselvander.
Before founding BLUE FROG ROBOTICS and building BUDDY, Rodolphe was the Executive Director for CRIIF – a private research laboratory in robotics – for almost a decade. His research led him to the field of sophisticated robots & Artificial Intelligence for professional application, in areas such as security, construction, surgery and personal assistance.
Rodolphe’s fascination with robots bloomed in childhood. After watching movies like Star Wars, he became convinced that one day, we will all have our own R2D2 at home.
Time progressed and the world still woefully lacked R2D2’s for the family. Rodolphe decided to take matters into his own hands and created a product for the mass market. He used advanced technologies to build a robot that offered real, humanlike help and services. And crucially, at an affordable price.
And so, BUDDY – the world’s first companion robot available to all – was born.
Getting started
If I have a question, how I can reach your team?
Do not hesitate to contact us for any questions. For questions regarding BUDDY, your perk, the Developer Program, or the campaign itself, the Blue Frog Robotics Team can be reached indiegogo@bluefrogrobotics.com
Who is BUDDY designed for?
BUDDY is designed for everyone : Adults, Kids, Seniors, Geeks and Developers.
How easy is it to set up and use BUDDY?
Yes, BUDDY is easy to use and operate. Simplicity and accessibility are the core of our product.
How tall is BUDDY? How heavy?
BUDDY is 22’ tall and weighs about 11 pounds (56cm; 5kg).
Can I give BUDDY a different name?
For now, you will have to call him by his name BUDDY to interact with him. Name customization will be available in the future.
Can I customize BUDDY's appearance?
Yes, you can make BUDDY uniquely yours by customizing his facial expressions. More accessories to customize will be sold separately. Have fun customizing your BUDDY!
Does BUDDY come with local storage?
Yes, BUDDY will allow you to store 16GB locally.
How durable is BUDDY?
BUDDY is a robust robot, built to handle most common shocks. However like all electronic devices, you should treat BUDDY with care.
What colors are available for BUDDY?
Currently BUDDY is white, but there are plans to introduce other colors in the future.
What languages does BUDDY speak?
BUDDY currently understands French and English. Future versions of BUDDY will be able to communicate in other languages. BUDDY owners can download software updates through Google Play Store for more languages, including Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.
How does BUDDY move?
BUDDY moves autonomously on his built-wheels at speeds up to 70cm/sec. BUDDY can rotate his head in all directions, enhancing how he interacts with you.
BUDDY is completely wireless and moves by himself throughout your home. BUDDY can travel from room to room to patrol. He can also move alongside you as you walk using his motorized wheels.
When you’re away, you can control BUDDY remotely through a mobile app on your smartphone. See through his eyes via the camera and move him around.
How does BUDDY navigate around the house?
BUDDY is equipped with a wide range of sensors: BTLE, camera, ultrasound, infra-red sensors and thermal sensors. To navigate, BUDDY uses these sensors to map the room, move around while avoiding obstacles and familiarise himself with your home. BUDDY will stop before running into objects in front of him. He will also stop before going over a stairway or other surface drop off.
Can BUDDY communicate wirelessly to my devices?
You can play audio, video and photo content on your devices directly from BUDDY. He is compatible with a large array of devices that are WiFi / Bluetooth enabled.
Can I access BUDDY from outside of my house (remotely)?
Of course. You can interact with BUDDY remotely by sending a message or via your smartphone, tablet or PC.
Does BUDDY's app work with iOS, Android, Windows mobile devices?
Yes. BUDDY will have his own mobile app and can be downloaded for free on any smartphone that is compatible with iOS, Android and Windows devices.
Can I control BUDDY with several smartphones or computer?
Several phones, tablets or computers can control the same BUDDY. Your BUDDY mobile app will notify you if someone else is already actively using BUDDY.
Does BUDDY communicate with other robots?
BUDDY can communicate with other BUDDY robots and all the BUDDYs will have their own social network. We plan to launch mybuddyworld.com in 2016. It will be a social network for your BUDDYs allowing them to interact with each other and share photos & videos.
Which wireless networks will support BUDDY?
All BUDDYs are connected via both Bluetooth and WiFi.
Does BUDDY require a WiFi connection?
No. You can use BUDDY if you don’t have a WiFi connection. However, some features such as remote control and alert notifications won't be available without WiFi connection.
BUDDY can create his own WiFi network to connect to your smartphone, tablet, PC and other smart devices. He can access to content stored on them; like photos, music and video.
BUDDY Apps
Where will I be able to download BUDDY apps?
BUDDY mobile apps will be available in the Google Play Store. If your favorite apps run on Android and are available in the Google Play Store, they will also run on BUDDY.
What apps will be available for BUDDY?
Almost all existing Android apps in the Google Play Store will work on BUDDY. Developers will also be able to adapt their apps for BUDDY to provide an even better experience. Developers can innovate and create new apps. The possibilities are endless with some imagination! Apps for games, music, TV, video calls, home security can be created for BUDDY.
What will the Classic Edition include?
The BUDDY Classic Edition comes with features such as centralized agenda, multi-alarm clock, telepresence, audio and video play, games and learning supports for children, hands-free helper, home security and patrolling, and connects to most of your smart home devices.
Smart home devices supported : Parrot Flower Power / Withings Blood Pressure monitor, Aura, Smart Body Analyser / Nest thermostat, Protect / Netatmo Thermostat, Wheather station / MyFox Home Alarm / LifFx Light / Holi Sleep Companion, Smart Lamp…and more to come.
Developer Program and the SDK
How is the Developer Edition different from the Classic Edition?
Developers will have early access to our SDK, including libraries, headers, documentation, samples for integrating BUDDY and most importantly, the support of our team. Developers are also the first to receive BUDDY upon shipping.
What programming language do I need to know?
The SDK will be a graphical tool for programming and is easily accessible. Prior knowledge of 3D Unity, C++, C# and the JavaScript programming languages is beneficial. Even you don’t have basic programming skills (or are a beginner), you will be able to create simple apps. Anyone can create behaviors simply by dragging and dropping actions from the library or creating customized boxes and saving them to custom libraries.
How do I get information and support as a developer?
When you pre-order a BUDDY Developer Edition, you will become a full member of our BUDDY Developers community. We hope that you will help BUDDY to become an indispensable companion robot. We want to make your BUDDY apps and content come to life and are committed to working with you to make these tools truly exceptional.
Is the software open source?
There is a part of open-source with 3D unity language programming. Most of the BUDDY's platform will be open source including all you need to create new applications and accessories.
Battery life and Usage
How does BUDDY charge?
BUDDY will be battery-ready.
How long does the battery last?
BUDDY works hard. Like any device, battery life expectancy will depend on usage, but BUDDY can operate for up to 10 hours with typical usage.
BUDDY recharges extremely fast and a dock station is available for purchase.
Does BUDDY charge automatically?
Yes, if you have the docking station sold separately. When the battery is low, BUDDY navigates back autonomously to his docking station.
Does BUDDY have and On/Off function?
BUDDY turns on and off by pushing the button on his head. You can tell BUDDY to go to rest or to sleep. BUDDY will only wake up when you ask him to.
Accessories
When will accessories be available for BUDDY?
Some accessories for BUDDY are available, such as docking station, arms and pico-projector (Digital Light Processing / WVGA / 16lm /60" maximum display), and will ship in July 2016.
You will be able to purchase a number of accessories for BUDDY. These include functional accessories, as well as fun items that allow you to customize the appearance of your BUDDY or add accessories making your life easier.
Privacy and Security
Can BUDDY sleep?
Yes, he can sleep. You wake BUDDY by touching his screen. While sleeping, BUDDY does not listen nor watch anything. BUDDY 100% respects your privacy.
How does BUDDY store information?
All the private data recorded by BUDDY is stored into the robot memory. Users can activate the backup on BUDDY's interface to make a secure copy of the data online, on a secure cloud.
What data does BUDDY store?
BUDDY stores information about interaction to recognize his environment and his family.
How about Privacy?
We truly believe that privacy is sacred. We are doing our utmost to firmly secure any data that goes online. The communication between BUDDY and his users is encrypted and not stored.
How is this secured?
We do not communicate the tool we are using as it is the first wall of safety. However, we use encryption for any private exchanges.
Does someone else can control my BUDDY?
To remotely control your BUDDY, you must log in with a unique and secure username and password. You are the only one that can control him. When calling someone through the app, the receiver has to explicitly accept the call.
What data do we store?
We do not store any personal data. On demand, we store your backup data on a secure cloud that only you can access. With your permission, we only collect anonymous technical data in order to enhance the BUDDY user experience.
Production and Shipping
Where is BUDDY produced?
We are based in Paris so we design, produce and assemble BUDDY entirely in France and Europe. We work with one of the best global full service EMS contract manufacturers, Jabil Circuit Inc. (JBL), to ensure that our products are shipped directly after production.
When will BUDDY ship?
- The first Developer Edition of BUDDY (Early bird perks) will ship in December 2015. The other Developers Edition perks will arrive in April 2016.
- The first Classic Edition of BUDDY (Early bird perks) will ship in May 2016. All the other perks will ship in July 2016.
Actual shipping dates may vary. The Blue Frog Robotics Team will keep you updated of your BUDDY shipping date.
Where does BUDDY ship?
We currently ship to the US, Canada, EU (all 28 countries), Norway, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore, Taïwan, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, South Africa, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico. We are currently evaluating other countries to start shipping to at a later time!
Is a transport case included when I purchase BUDDY?
The transport case will be an accessory available later for your BUDDY.
Credits
Who did your movie?
We worked closely with Franck de Visme for our movie.
Who did your music?
We worked closely with Marie Muller for our music.
Who did your website?
We worked closely with Antoine Gaboriau for our website.
Who did you work with on the industrial design for BUDDY?
We worked closely with OVA Design.
Contact
I'm a distributor/retailer, how do I contact you?
We are accepting inquiries regarding future distribution opportunities via email at distributor@bluefrogrobotics.com. Thank you for your interest in BUDDY!
Join us in the movement to take personal robotics to the next level!
THANK YOU!
