Bristol robotics startup catches Apple’s eye

“It was an opportunity to create something better,” says Silas Adekunle, the mastermind behind the world’s first gaming robot that is now available in Apple stores.

Crouched on the floor in the expansive Future Space, the tech-whizz lovingly tends to the two MekaMons that are fast making his startup company a national success story.

Adekunle demonstrates how MekaMon works

It’s been an incredible journey for the founder and CEO of Reach Robotics, who only graduated from UWE Bristol in 2014, but has already taken America by storm, successfully raised millions of pounds to get his unique product off the ground and now caught the attention of Apple.

The electronics giant has chosen to promote MekaMon with a coveted slot on its Christmas gift guide and while Adekunle admits it is certainly an exciting step, he remains down to earth and it’s clear his real passion is for developing a robot unlike any other.

“We are creating something fun and entertainment-focused, but also creating technology for the future,” he tells Bristol24/7 two days before the product is due to launch in stores across the country and the US.

“We are turning the world around and into the playing field. Our teams are developing games as we speak.

“One thing I thought was wrong with the whole industry was that there’s no back story – so anyone getting one of these robots has the whole story behind it. They have got the behaviour and personality – next year we are upgrading so no two robots will have the same personality.

“There is no robot out there like this.”

Adekunle aims to inspire but also educate with his invention

Born in Nigeria, Adekunle moved to England when he was 11 and went on to start Reach Robotics while in his third year of university, along with co-founders John Rees and Chris Beck.

“I wanted to study robotics so looked online and found the Bristol Robotics Lab was the best in Europe,” he says of the decision to study in Bristol. “I moved to Bristol without having ever been here before.”

Reach Robotics aims to bring high-end robotics and augmented reality to mainstream gaming audiences and provide the tools for future robotics and STEM education.

The unique MekaMon robot can moves gaming into a new category, one that combines augmented reality and robotics.

The company was offered a place on two different accelerators in America so, picking the best option, uprooted to San Diego where they soon raised the money needed to first make the product, and then bring it to market.

Adekunle was inspired to create MekaMon when teaching robotics while he was still a student and finding that people became far more engaged when they could have fun with something as well.

“I was looking to entertain people and inspire them, but also educate. You can learn to code with these robots,” he says.

On the decision to return to Bristol, Adekunle adds: “When we left, everyone thought America was the be-all and end-all and, yes, it’s good but we value longer term investing in the company.”

Silas Adekunle John Rees and Chris Beck of Reach Robotics

Reach Robotics has come full circle geographically, returning to the city in which it was born, but in terms of opportunities, the sky’s the limit.

Read more: Welcome to the future