Nigerian-born Englishman Silas Adekunle has raised more than $7 million to fund an innovative gaming robot that can be used, in part, to enhance science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
Silas Adekunle, a native of Nigeria who moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 11, is the creator of MekaMon, an innovative gaming robot that will be sold by Apple. (Courtesy Photo)
Adekunle is the CEO of Reach Robotics, a tech startup that he co-founded with Chris Beck and John Rees in 2013. The company recently signed a major deal with Apple to sell its gaming robot, MekaMon, in all 361 Apple stores across the globe. The four-legged multi-functional robot—which is controlled by a smartphone app—is designed for single player mode or real-life Mek to Mek battling and will sell for $299.99. Not only is it the world’s first premium gaming robot, it is also the first to ever to be sold through Apple.
Adekunle said in a statement: “As the world’s first premium gaming robot, MekaMon fits neatly into the emerging category of mobile augmented reality products. By fusing robotics, reality-bending technology and competitive play, we’re offering players a new twist on hardware and video games-a premium robotics product that’s easy to play but very difficult to master.”
Adekunle studied robotics at the University of West England where he graduated in 2014 with first class honors. He is currently located at the Bristol Robotics Lab which is a top robotics research center in the United Kingdom.
