Ropedia's HOMIE: The Wearable Tech Changing How Robots Learn

Key points

• Ropedia raised $22 million in pre-Series A funding on October 2023.
• The HOMIE device captures human movement data for training robots.
• Ropedia plans to expand data collection in North America and Southeast Asia.
• Ropedia's data-collection costs are up to 50 times lower than traditional methods.

Ropedia, known for its innovative data solutions in AI, recently secured $22 million in funding to expand its groundbreaking device, HOMIE. This wearable, head-mounted gadget is designed to capture first-person views of human movements and interactions, providing valuable data to train robots. The company, founded in 2025, aims to broaden its reach in North America, where most of its clients are based.

What is HOMIE and how does it work?

HOMIE is a wearable device equipped with a 360-degree camera that captures everything from how you move to the objects you interact with. It also has audio sensors that detect the source and direction of sounds, and a motion unit to track your movements. Ropedia develops most of HOMIE's hardware in-house, ensuring high-quality data, and says its approach cuts data-collection costs by up to 50 times compared to traditional methods.

Imagine wearing HOMIE while cleaning your home or playing a round of pickleball. It records these everyday activities to create a rich dataset that helps train robots to understand and mimic human behavior.

Why is this funding important for Ropedia?

The $22 million raised will enable Ropedia to scale up HOMIE's production and expand its data collection efforts. The company plans to strengthen its teams in hardware, software, and AI research, focusing on creating a robust data platform with better annotation tools and compliance measures.

Ropedia is focusing on tasks like housekeeping, cleaning, and interior design to build its datasets. It collects around 1,000 hours of data weekly, with a total of 100,000 hours already amassed. The company offers two types of services: licensing pre-existing datasets and acquiring new, high-quality data for clients.

What are Ropedia's next steps?

Ropedia is looking to expand its data collection across North America and Southeast Asia. The company also plans to develop more wearable tech, including devices for hands and legs, to capture an even wider range of human activities. These innovations could one day allow robots to learn tasks with the finesse of a human.

The company envisions a future where humans could wear multiple devices to create synchronized data streams, enhancing the data quality and breadth. For example, adding a hand device could track hand movements and interactions, working in tandem with HOMIE.

Common questions

How does Ropedia ensure privacy with HOMIE?

Ropedia is committed to ensuring that the data collected by HOMIE is secure and compliant with industry standards. The company focuses on developing infrastructure that processes large-scale data safely.

Is HOMIE available for personal use?

Currently, HOMIE is targeted at research and industry applications. There are no indications that it will be available for personal consumer use soon.