Double Robotics

Double Robotics is a United States technology startup associated with mobile telepresence robots designed to represent remote users in workplaces, educational settings, and other physical environments. Its products combine a self-balancing robotic base with an iPad or comparable tablet, allowing a person to see, hear, speak, and move around a location from a distance. The robots are controlled through a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone rather than by a person physically operating the machine on site. The company's best-known product is Double, a two-wheeled telepresence robot whose upright form is often compared with the Segway PT. The platform uses gyroscope and accelerometer sensors in its base to maintain balance while the user drives it remotely. This design addresses a practical limitation of conventional video conferencing: instead of remaining fixed in a meeting room, the remote participant can move between rooms, approach colleagues, and choose where to position the device. The system therefore sits at the intersection of robotics, collaboration software, remote work, and distance learning. Double Robotics received seed funding from Y Combinator during its early development. The company reported that Johnson & Johnson and The Coca-Cola Company tested its robots, while seven Fortune 500 companies preordered units. Reported preorders exceeded $500,000, and customer deliveries began in February 2013. These early deployments positioned the product as an enterprise and organizational communication tool rather than merely a consumer gadget. The original Double robot was listed at $2,499. The product line later expanded with Double 2, retaining the core concept of a tablet-mounted mobile telepresence platform. By January 2017, the company claimed that approximately 8,000 robots had been sold since 2013, indicating adoption across a range of businesses, schools, and other institutions, although the cited material does not provide independently audited sales figures or a current installed-base estimate. In August 2019, Double Robotics introduced Double 3. The company presented the newer model as a way to improve productivity for remote workers and support distance learners. This direction reflected the growing use of remote collaboration and the demand for more natural ways to participate in activities that normally require physical presence. The available reference material does not establish the company's current ownership, headquarters, financial condition, public-listing status, or product availability, so those details remain unconfirmed.

Double Robotics developed as a technology startup focused on mobile telepresence rather than conventional industrial automation. Its central idea was to give a remote participant a movable physical presence by combining a two-wheeled self-balancing base with an iPad. The tablet supplied the audiovisual interface, while the robotic base provided movement and positioning. Gyroscope and accelerometer sensors helped the platform remain upright, allowing a remote operator to drive it from a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. The product's appearance, with a tall tablet mounted above a narrow two-wheeled base, drew comparisons with the Segway PT. Its purpose was different: instead of transporting a person, it transported a remote user's presence through a building. A user could join meetings, communicate with nearby people, and move between locations without being physically present. This made the system relevant to distributed companies, schools, and other organizations seeking an alternative to fixed video-conference equipment. During its early commercialization, Double Robotics received seed funding from Y Combinator. The company reported interest from large enterprise customers, including testing by Johnson & Johnson and The Coca-Cola Company. It also stated that seven Fortune 500 companies had preordered its robot, with total preorders exceeding $500,000. Customer deliveries began in February 2013, establishing the original Double as a commercial product rather than a development prototype. The reported launch price was $2,499. The company subsequently offered Double 2, an updated version of the same general mobile telepresence concept. By January 2017, Double Robotics claimed that approximately 8,000 robots had been sold since 2013. The available source does not specify the geographic distribution of those sales, the proportion accounted for by enterprises or educational institutions, or whether the figure represented shipments, paid orders, or another measure. In August 2019, Double Robotics announced Double 3. The new generation was framed around improving productivity for remote workers and enabling distance learners to participate more naturally in physical settings. This emphasis connected the company's technology to broader changes in workplace collaboration and education, where remote users increasingly needed to interact with people and spaces rather than simply appear in a stationary video window. The cited reference material does not provide a confirmed founder, headquarters address, current corporate parent, ownership structure, public-market listing, current leadership team, or post-2019 operating information. It also does not establish whether all earlier models remain available. Those gaps prevent a definitive assessment of the company's present commercial status.

1. 2019Double 3 debuted

   Double Robotics introduced Double 3 in August 2019 for remote-worker productivity and distance-learning use cases.

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2. 2017Reported sales reached approximately 8,000 robots

   The company claimed that about 8,000 robots had been sold since 2013, as of January 2017.

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3. 2013Customer deliveries began

   Deliveries of the original Double telepresence robot began in February 2013. The robot was listed at $2,499 and used a self-balancing base with a tablet-mounted communication interface.

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4. Seed funding from Y Combinator

   Double Robotics received seed funding from Y Combinator during its early development. The available source does not specify the funding date or amount.

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A telepresence-robotics brand focused on mobile, tablet-based participation in workplaces, schools, and other environments where remote users need more presence and mobility than ordinary video calls provide.

• DoubleMobile telepresence robot2013

  The original Double is a two-wheeled, self-balancing telepresence robot with an iPad-based upper section. Gyroscope and accelerometer sensors help stabilize the base, while the remote operator controls movement through a desktop computer, tablet, or smartphone. Its purpose is to let a person participate in meetings and move around a workplace or other site without being physically present. The product was listed at $2,499, and customer deliveries began in February 2013.

• Double 2Mobile telepresence robot

  Double 2 is an updated generation of Double Robotics' tablet-based mobile telepresence platform. It retained the company's core approach: a remotely driven, self-balancing robotic base carrying a tablet that provides the audiovisual connection. The available source identifies Double 2 as part of the company's product line but does not detail its launch date, technical specifications, pricing, or changes from the original model.

• Double 3Mobile telepresence robot2019

  Double 3 was introduced in August 2019 as a newer telepresence robot aimed at improving productivity for remote workers and supporting distance learners. It continued the brand's focus on mobile remote presence, allowing users to communicate and navigate in physical environments. The cited material does not provide a complete specification sheet, launch price, sales figure, or current availability.

• 2019Introduction of Double 3Generation change

  Double Robotics continued developing its mobile telepresence platform as remote collaboration and distance learning became important use cases.

  What changed. The company debuted Double 3 in August 2019 and positioned it around remote-worker productivity and distance learning.

  Aftermath. The cited source does not report subsequent sales, customer expansion, or the product's current availability.

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• 2013Commercial launch of DoubleProduct launch

  Double Robotics moved its original tablet-based telepresence robot from development into commercial delivery, targeting organizations that needed remote users to participate in physical locations.

  What changed. The company began customer deliveries in February 2013 and listed the robot at $2,499.

  Aftermath. The company later reported adoption by major corporate testers and approximately 8,000 robots sold since 2013 by January 2017.

  Reported preorder value. $500,000+ (By the 2013 commercial launch)

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• 2019Double Robotics introduced Double 3

  The company debuted Double 3 in August 2019, presenting it as a telepresence robot intended to support remote-worker productivity and distance learning.

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• 2017Double Robotics reported approximately 8,000 robots sold

  As of January 2017, Double Robotics claimed that roughly 8,000 robots had been sold since customer deliveries began in 2013.

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• 2013Double Robotics began customer deliveries of its telepresence robot

  Customer deliveries of the original Double telepresence robot began in February 2013. The product used a self-balancing base and an iPad to let remote users communicate and move through a physical location.

  Product launch
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• 2013Double Robotics reported adoption by major corporate testers and preorder customers

  The company said Johnson & Johnson and The Coca-Cola Company were testing Double robots and that seven Fortune 500 companies had placed preorders. Reported preorder value exceeded $500,000.

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1. Double Robotics