moods or emotions that could be of concern, such as sadness or unusual sleepiness, Kidd says. This information might verge on diagnostic input, and there’s a lot more Catalia needs to know before it could make that a reliable feature, he says.
For now, Mabu is classified as a non-regulated medical device, Kidd says. Catalia would need to apply for FDA approval if clinicians were using information gathered by the robot for diagnosis, or if Mabu made treatment recommendations to patients, he says.
But in the future, Mabu might be useful as part of the treatment picture in conditions such as mood disorders. “We definitely see it moving in that direction,” Kidd says.
Catalia has already received some of the revenue from its three contracts, under which clients pay for the robot service on a per patient, per month basis at Catalia’s commercial prices, Kidd says. The contracts will run for up to 15 months. Catalia’s goal is to get enough data to scale up and continue the service, he says.
Catalia raised $1.25 million about six months after its founding in late 2014, Kidd says. Most of the money came from Khosla Ventures, joined by global design firm IDEO and angel investors, he says. The company is currently seeking new contracts, with the goal of expanding into more disease states.
At this point, all the costs of a patient’s robot relationship are borne by the drug maker or healthcare system that contracts with Catalia, which retains ownership of the robots.
But Mabus could possibly be sold to individuals in the future, Kidd says. In early field trials, some patients were eager to keep their robots after the studies were completed, he says.
“People get really attached,” Kidd says.
Photo courtesy of Catalia Health
