Bristol-based start-up Reach Robotics has received a major boost from Apple; its MekaMon robot is being promoted by the US technology giant in the run-up to Christmas (www.reachrobotics.com).

Each year, Apple limits its selection of pre-Christmas promotions to a handful of products and services that have caught the attention of its executives.

This development represents the culmination of a four-year ‘journey’ for Reach’s founders, who met at the University of the West of England (in Bristol).

They describe the MekaMon as “the world’s first real-life gaming robot”, with both single-player and two-player battle games available on phones and tablets. It adds a physical device to the ‘augmented-reality-powered virtual gaming space’.

Silas Adekunle, Reach’s CEO, said: “Gone are the days of overlaying an image on a real world — augmented reality should look at the world you’re in and then adapt to it.”

A limited production run of 500 MekaMon robots last year enabled Reach’s team to incorporate user feedback into the product; it also led to the company securing $7.5 million of funding earlier this year (in a funding round led by Korea Investment Partners and IGlobe Partners), paving the way for a full commercial roll-out of the product.

The MekaMon has already won good reviews from testers and technology-sector critics, but Mr Adekunle believes that the deal with Apple has great potential.

“The moment the Apple leadership team saw the product, we just clicked with them; it seemed to really align with what they’re interested in and focused on right now.

"We want to make products that entertain, inspire and educate people, and that seems to be a good fit with Apple.”