# LrrK Kinematic Consumer Risk Bulletin **LRRK Watch / Open-Source Intelligence** — Consumer systems that sense, move, and act in homes and yards. **Issue type.** Monthly filing. | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Collection cutoff | 31 May 2019 | | Platform | Quiet Systems | | Window | 1–31 May 2019 | | Data label | Open-source intelligence // LRRK analytic product // retrospective monthly filing | | Handling | Public-source material. Image rights require separate verification before publication. Retrospective reconstruction from contemporaneous public records. | | Scope | Consumer kinematic electronics only (home, yard, companion, educational). | | Classes in frame | Robot vacuums / mop combos · robotic lawn mowers · window-cleaning robots · pool-cleaning robots · robot pets / companion animals · social / desk companions · educational / programmable kits · robotic litter boxes · security / home patrol robots · consumer robotic arms · elder-care / assistive companions · kitchen / food-prep robots · toy / entertainment robots · niche outdoor / garden robots · emerging general-purpose or humanoid home robots | | Spine | CPSC, Health Canada, EU Safety Gate, UK OPSS, manufacturer recall pages, named newsrooms, dockets, SEC. | | Color | Message boards, consumer forums, and Reddit — annotated context only. Never Fact without a reputable primary. | ## Executive read ### BLUF May is the Anki server-plan month. A 3 May IEEE Spectrum note and a ~7 May anki.com statement — quoted in full by The Robot Report and by Stacey on IoT on 7 May — say Anki contracted senior engineers, that “Vector is the only product with a notable cloud component,” and that the firm is “monitoring cloud operations for Anki accounts and Vector.” That is the opposite of a mass brick. Roomba s9+ / Braava jet m6 (29 May) is a product announcement and is not graduated. No official recall. ### Key judgments 1. **[Assessment — High confidence]** The opened May statement is a continuity plan, not a brick. Quote “continued use,” “notable cloud component,” and “monitoring cloud operations.” 2. **[Assessment — High confidence]** Live anki.com HTML was not retrieved in this collection; the text is taken from named contemporaneous reprints (Robot Report; Stacey on IoT 7 May update). Grade A1 on the wording as reprinted, B1 on the URL itself. 3. **[Assessment — High confidence]** No May CPSC, Health Canada, OPSS, or Safety Gate in-class consumer-robot action was found. Roomba s9+ is not a harm or trust primary. ### Analytic labels - **Fact** — verified reporting or primary record - **Assessment** — analytic judgment - **Inference** — reasoned but not directly observed - **Uncertainty** — unresolved information gap ### Source grades - **A1** — authoritative primary record / directly confirmed - **B1–B2** — generally reliable and corroborated - **C3** — useful but requires caution (typical for forums) --- ## 01. Anki posts a continuity plan — Vector has a “notable cloud component”; engineers contracted; not a mass brick *Event / publication dates: 3 May 2019 (IEEE Spectrum update on the 29 April article); ~7 May 2019 (anki.com statement as reprinted; Stacey on IoT update 7 May; The Robot Report “just over a week” after the 29 April close)* **Product class.** Toy / entertainment robots; social / desk companions; educational / programmable kits (Vector, Cozmo, Overdrive) **Verified record — [Fact — A1 / B1]** IEEE Spectrum, update **05/03**: Anki on cloud infrastructure — “This is definitely something we care a lot about. We’re working right now on a plan to keep the products operational into the future.” [IEEE Spectrum](https://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-robotics-company-anki-abruptly-shuts-down). The Robot Report, “just over a week” after shutdown, quotes a statement “posted to its website” in full: “It is with a heavy heart to inform you that Anki has ceased product development and we are no longer manufacturing robots. To our partners and customers, thank you for all your support and joining us on this journey to bring robotics and AI out of research labs and into your homes. “We are taking steps to assure that customers will continue to enjoy continued use of our products. In order to provide long term support of our products, Anki has contracted our most senior leaders and hands-on engineers across all the technical areas involved in maintaining the operation and functionality in the existing products and apps. Ongoing operations for existing products typically require little to no active intervention, but we have arranged for any support in the event it does become necessary. Vector is the only product with a notable cloud component, and the contracted team is heavily staffed in that area. “Currently, we have implemented a self-serve Help Center to assist in getting the most out of your product, regretfully there are no agents available, however we are monitoring cloud operations for Anki accounts and Vector. “We plan to solidify and communicate all the details of this plan soon.” [The Robot Report](https://www.therobotreport.com/anki-addresses-shutdown-ongoing-support-for-robots/). Stacey on IoT, **Updated on 5/7/2019**, reprints the same block as “the following statement from the Anki website.” [Stacey on IoT](https://staceyoniot.com/hey-anki-heres-how-to-shut-down-with-users-in-mind/). Robot Report: Vector “doesn’t rely on the cloud for autonomy” but uses it for software/firmware updates, NLP/voice, and machine learning; “Customers on Anki Developers Forum are reporting that Vector is still alive and well.” Official closing date as stated by a contemporaneous owner-education page: **1 May 2019**, with servers still up as of 3 May (Kinvert — C3/B2). **Do not write:** Anki mass-bricked every Vector in April or May 2019. The company said the opposite. Later servers and community forks exist; they are out of this window. **Threat landscape.** Continuity now sits on a contracted remnant, not a going concern. Physical harm is none. The residual risk is that “monitoring cloud operations” is not an SLA and is not a local mode. **Forum / community notes.** - Anki Developers Forum: Vector still working (quoted by Robot Report and Stacey) — C3 via B1. Threads were not independently opened. - none independently opened on Reddit. **Intelligence assessment.** [Assessment — High confidence] This is the primary that kills the April-brick myth. [Inference — Moderate confidence] “Plan to solidify… soon” is a promise without a date. [Uncertainty] How long the contracted team is paid, and what “notable cloud component” excludes, are unpublished. **Opportunity.** A dated successor, an escrow, or a later server incident. Digital Dream Labs is not a May Fact. **LRRK relevance.** Control Fabric. Passport: post-shutdown support as a trust instrument. Watch: Vector cloud. **Confidence.** High on the reprinted website wording and the 7 May contemporaneous capture. Moderate on the exact first-post day (3–8 May window). Low on SLA. --- ## Forward indicators 1. Any later Anki “details of this plan” page, or a named buyer. 2. Jibo — whether March “soon” has been executed. 3. First 2019 official consumer-robot recall (none found). 4. Terra Germany SKU or US beta terms. 5. aibo Premium Plan (Sony scheduled June on the January page) — only if a June primary opens. > **Collection integrity.** One signal. Roomba s9+ / Braava jet m6, 29 May ([iRobot](https://media.irobot.com/2019-05-29-The-Future-of-Clean-Takes-Shape-with-iRobots-Most-Advanced-Robot-Vacuum-and-Mop); [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/5/29/18643881/irobot-roomba-s9-plus-braava-jet-m6-release-date-news-features-specs-robot-vacuum-cleaner-mop-dust)) was seen and **not graduated** — product announcement, no harm/trust primary. **Anki May primary URLs:** IEEE Spectrum 3 May update; [Robot Report](https://www.therobotreport.com/anki-addresses-shutdown-ongoing-support-for-robots/); [Stacey on IoT 7 May](https://staceyoniot.com/hey-anki-heres-how-to-shut-down-with-users-in-mind/). Live anki.com HTML not retrieved. **Killed:** April/May mass brick; court anti-brick ruling; Roomba CPSC recall; Dexter 20-115 (2020); Clean Base (2020); DDL acquisition as a May Fact. Official in-class IDs: **NIL**. *LRRK — security assurance for systems that sense, move, and act.*

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