The Boston startup Spiritify says it’s begun mass producing its Joy AI companion robots.
The doll-sized companions cost $699 plus yearly subscription fees from $599 for homes and $1,699-$5,700 for institutions. They’re intended for use in senior care and special education. Joy is available in six variants.
Launched in 2025 by Sunny Sun and Charles Mak, Spiritify’s early customers include Golden Years Assisted Living in Rhode Island and Randolph Public Schools in Massachusetts. It’s also announced partnerships with PointClickCare and ECP to integrate its proprietary CareSphere platform with electronic health record systems at senior care facilities.
Spiritify.AI calls its tabletop robot an “AI companion carebot for a happier and healthier life.” Standing 33 cm (13 inches) and weighing 4 lbs (1.8 kg), Joy has a toy-like appearance with oversized blue eyes, a smooth childlike face, and brown hair in pigtails. Its exterior is made from food-grade silicone.
According to the startup, Joy can hold conversations in 140 languages, provide medication and routine reminders, track emotional well-being, and record personal moments with a built-in life-journaling feature. Joy features an AI chip that supports emotional interactions, expressive eyes that change color based on mood, and movable limbs with up to 18 degrees of freedom (DoF).
It communicates with users with its built-in speakers and microphones that pick up sounds from all directions. The robot can reportedly operate for up to 10 hours with its battery, which recharges through a USB-C connection.
Spiritify is among a growing number of Massachusetts startups focused on social applications rather than industrial or warehouse automation. Other recently launched startups include Colin Angle’s Familiar Machines & Magic, which is making cuddly robotic dogs, and Dynamic Creatures, which is developing robot characters for entertainment and amusement parks.