Mind With Heart Robotics is capturing attention at CES 2026 with its emotionally intelligent robot collection, led by the An’An Biomimetic Affective AI Panda—a CES Innovation Awards winner in the Artificial Intelligence category. The company is simultaneously launching its Duncan Series Companion Robots, marking its strategic expansion into therapeutic robotics designed specifically for children and families.
Addressing Real-World Therapeutic Needs
The timing reflects urgent global health challenges. With dementia affecting 50 million people worldwide, anxiety and depression impacting over 800 million individuals, and up to 30% of elderly adults living alone, the demand for accessible therapeutic companionship continues growing. Children with autism and sensory processing challenges also require consistent support, creating a substantial market opportunity that Mind With Heart Robotics aims to address through technology.
Dr. Zhang Jiaming, Founder and CEO of Mind With Heart Robotics, brings over a decade of research experience in affective computing and human-robot interaction to the company’s mission. “We’re not just celebrating An’An’s CES recognition, we are introducing a new category of therapeutic robots designed specifically for children and family environments,” he explains.
An’An Panda: Premium Materials Meet Clinical Intelligence
The flagship An’An Panda Cub Robot combines sophisticated emotional support technology with premium craftsmanship. Built with Australian wool and sheepskin, the robot incorporates a full-body tactile sensing system featuring over 10 sensor suites that recognize and respond to touch with natural behaviors. Its emotional AI learns voice patterns, touch signals, and interaction habits, supported by long-term memory that deepens personalization over extended use.
For consumers, An’An delivers 24/7 stigma-free emotional support targeting loneliness, anxiety, and depression. The healthcare version expands these capabilities by capturing objective interaction data—including touch patterns, conversation cues, and behavioral changes—delivered through secure dashboards for authorized clinicians monitoring cognitive and emotional status. For elderly users experiencing cognitive decline, An’An proactively engages during periods of inactivity and provides helpful reminders.
Preliminary studies have demonstrated measurable mood improvement, positioning An’An for future regulatory pathways, while offering clinical-grade functionality at approximately one-fifth the cost of traditional therapeutic robots.
Duncan Series: Child-Focused Therapeutic Innovation
Mind With Heart Robotics’ newly launched Duncan Series represents a targeted approach to pediatric therapy. These companion robots feature advanced touch-sensing and emotional AI capabilities specifically engineered for children. The child-form design creates age-appropriate emotional connections, encouraging nurturing behavior while supporting children with autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing challenges, and anxiety.
Like An’An, the Duncan Series operates on hybrid offline-online architecture with long-term memory learning, personalizing responses as children interact over weeks and months. This approach ensures the robots become more effective therapeutic tools through sustained engagement.
Unified Technology Platform
All Mind With Heart Robotics products share a consistent technical foundation, operating on hybrid offline-online models with 4-5-hour battery life and Type-C charging. The company’s unified biomimetic design philosophy focuses on sustaining long-term, emotionally meaningful companionship across multiple form factors, including the premium Alizée humanoid robot with advanced touch-sensing capabilities.
The robots are powered by an integrated AI system featuring sophisticated touch-sensing technology, advanced memory systems that learn over time, and continuous personalization that improves with each interaction. This technology foundation is supported by a global affective AI patent portfolio with more than 30 filings and 18 patents granted to date.
Market Positioning and Future Plans
Mind With Heart Robotics plans to begin mass production in March 2026 for both the An’An panda and new child-form robots, scaling to serve consumer, healthcare, and institutional markets globally. With the AI companion robot market projected to reach $35 billion by 2030, the company appears well-positioned to capture significant market share through its clinically-informed approach to emotional AI.
The company’s comprehensive strategy addresses 24+ real-world application scenarios across consumer, healthcare, pediatric, and institutional care settings, combining technical innovation with human-centered design. More details about Mind With Heart Robotics and their complete product lineup can be found on their official website at https://web.wxbionics.com/home.
