Engineered Arts Company Profile: History and Robots
Updated: Oct 15
Engineered Arts is a British company that makes humanoid robots built for interacting with people, best known for Ameca and its strikingly expressive face. Will Jackson founded it in Falmouth, Cornwall, in 2004. This profile sets out its history and its robots.
Engineered Arts at a Glance
Fact | Detail |
Company | Engineered Arts Ltd |
Founded | October 2004 |
Founder | Will Jackson |
Headquarters | Falmouth, Cornwall, England |
Robots | RoboThespian, Mesmer and Ameca |
Customers | Science centers, museums, universities and entertainment venues |
Company History
The company's first humanoid, RoboThespian Mark 1, came out of work on a mechanical theater for the Eden Project in 2005. In 2010, after completing a robot theater at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Engineered Arts decided to concentrate entirely on robot hardware and software. Its robots have since been installed at venues including NASA's Kennedy Space Center and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, and have appeared on stage in theater productions.
Key milestones
2004: Founded in Falmouth.
2005: First RoboThespian.
2010: Decision to focus solely on robots.
2015 and 2017: RoboThespian performs in stage plays in New York and Edinburgh.
2019: Ai-Da, a robot artist based on RoboThespian, completed.
January 2022: Ameca launched at CES in Las Vegas.
Robots
Robot | Description |
RoboThespian | Interactive humanoid performer with LCD eyes, 1.75 m tall and 33 kg, speaking more than 30 languages |
Mesmer | Humanoid with a skin-like face modeled from 3D scans of real people |
Ameca | Humanoid platform for AI research and human interaction, designed around facial expressiveness |
Ai-Da | Robot that creates drawings, paintings and sculptures |
Engineered Arts' robots are made to communicate, not to do physical work. They are used as presenters, exhibits and research platforms, a different market from the industrial humanoids now being developed for factories.
What Is Not Covered
The source used for this profile does not give funding, sales or employee numbers, so those are left out.
Strengths and Challenges
Strengths
A distinctive specialty in expressive faces and human interaction.
Two decades of installations at public venues.
Challenges
A niche market in entertainment, education and research.
Limited public financial information.
Engineered Arts FAQ
Where is Engineered Arts based?
In Falmouth, Cornwall, England.
Who founded Engineered Arts?
Will Jackson, in 2004.
What is Ameca?
A humanoid robot designed for AI research and human interaction, launched in January 2022.
What other robots does Engineered Arts make?
RoboThespian and Mesmer, and it built the robot artist Ai-Da.
Are Engineered Arts robots used in factories?
No. They are built for interaction, entertainment and research.
