- Changes
- 4
- Tracking since
- Mar 2021
- Latest
- Sep 18, 2024
- Net movement
- Classification stable
Pennsylvania sues Digital Dream Labs over unfulfilled Vector 2.0 ordersDigital Dream Labs cloud servers go down, degrading Vector 2.0 featuresDigital Dream Labs begins shipping Vector 2.0 robots internationally to 65 countriesDigital Dream Labs signs retail deal to bring Vector 2.0 to store shelvesMar 2021Sep 2024
- 2024
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Pennsylvania sues Digital Dream Labs over unfulfilled Vector 2.0 orders
Pennsylvania's Attorney General filed suit against Digital Dream Labs and its chief executive, alleging the company failed to fulfill orders, denied refunds, and misrepresented delivery dates for its robot lines including Vector 2.0.
Full assessment
AutonomyL2 heldReadinessPromising Progress heldScoreScores unchangedThe complaint covers roughly 14,000 orders placed between November 2020 and January 2024, valued at more than 4 million dollars. The case remained pending, with outcomes for affected Vector 2.0 owners unresolved.
Impact on autonomy
- No onboard autonomy capability was affected by this consumer protection filing.
- Vector 2.0 units already in owners' hands continued operating per existing specifications.
Impact on readiness
- Roughly 14,000 orders placed since November 2020 remained unfulfilled as of the filing.
- State complaint alleges owners were denied refunds and timely delivery information.
Claim check3 claims reviewed
Digital Dream Labs advertised delivery dates for prepaid Vector 2.0 ordersState complaint alleges advertised delivery dates were misrepresented and thousands of orders went unfulfilledCustomers could cancel orders that were not deliveredComplaint alleges Digital Dream Labs failed to notify consumers of cancellation rights and denied cancellation requestsPaid orders and subscriptions implied a functioning support relationshipComplaint alleges the company failed to issue prompt, full refunds to affected consumersBottom lineThe state's filing formalized, as a legal claim, the fulfillment and refund problems Vector 2.0 owners had already been describing since the 2023 server outage.
Technical notes3 sections
- The Complaint
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Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry filed suit against Digital Dream Labs, LLC and chief executive Harold Jacob Hanchar in Allegheny County court on September 18, 2024. The complaint names Vector 2.0, Cozmo 2.0, and the Butter Robot as the affected product lines.
- Scale
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The filing states that approximately 14,000 orders were placed between November 2020 and January 2024, with consumers paying between 147 and 655 dollars per robot across the three product lines, for total sales exceeding 4 million dollars. The state alleges most orders were not fulfilled.
- Allegations
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The complaint alleges violations of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law, including failure to deliver prepaid merchandise in a timely manner, misrepresenting delivery dates, failing to notify consumers of cancellation rights, and failing to issue prompt refunds. The state seeks restitution, civil penalties, and an injunction against further prepayment collection.
SourcesCBS Pittsburgh 2024-09-18Pittsburgh Patch 2024-09-18 - 2023
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Digital Dream Labs cloud servers go down, degrading Vector 2.0 features
Digital Dream Labs' cloud servers supporting Vector 2.0 went offline starting around mid-2023, disrupting cloud-dependent features including facial recognition for existing owners.
Full assessment
AutonomyL2 heldReadinessPromising Progress heldScoreScores unchangedDigital Dream Labs told users the servers would return within weeks, but the outage extended well past that estimate. Owners with active subscriptions continued to be billed during the outage, raising the question of whether service would be restored or refunded.
Impact on autonomy
- Cloud-dependent facial recognition became unavailable while backend servers remained offline.
- On-device functions unaffected by the outage continued to operate without cloud connectivity.
Impact on readiness
- Digital Dream Labs' initial estimate of a few weeks of downtime was not met.
- Active subscribers continued to be billed for cloud features that were not functioning.
Claim check3 claims reviewed
Digital Dream Labs stated servers would be back up within a few weeksOwner reports and later company statements describe the outage extending for over a year before being addressedVector 2.0 marketed with cloud-based facial recognition as a core featureFacial recognition and other backend-dependent features were unavailable to owners while servers remained downActive Vector 2.0 subscriptions implied ongoing supported serviceOwners reported continued billing for cloud features that were not functioning during the outageBottom lineThe outage exposed how much of Vector 2.0's advertised functionality depended on servers Digital Dream Labs did not keep running.
Technical notes3 sections
- Outage Timeline
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Vector 2.0 owners and independent trackers reported an earlier account-management and server outage in March 2023, followed by a more extended cloud service failure documented from around July 2023 onward. Digital Dream Labs told affected users the servers would return within a few weeks, but by mid-2024 owner reports and community write-ups described the outage as still unresolved, over a year later.
- Affected Features
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The outage disrupted Vector 2.0 functions that depend on Digital Dream Labs’ cloud backend, most notably facial recognition, which relies on server-side processing rather than purely on-device computation. Functions that do not require the cloud connection continued to operate.
- Billing
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Owner and customer complaints, later compiled through consumer protection channels, described continued subscription billing for cloud-dependent features during the period the servers were reported down.
SourcesThe Droid You Are Looking For 2023-07-25The Droid You Are Looking For 2023-03-27 - 2022
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Digital Dream Labs begins shipping Vector 2.0 robots internationally to 65 countries
Digital Dream Labs confirmed Vector 2.0 had begun international shipping, with United States and Canadian pre-orders going out first, followed by the United Kingdom and European Union, and the remainder of 65 total countries to follow.
Full assessment
AutonomyL2 heldReadinessPromising Progress heldScoreScores unchangedThe shipment start came roughly a year after the company's stated 2021 holiday season target. Whether fulfillment could keep pace with the pre-order backlog remained to be seen.
Impact on autonomy
- No new autonomy capability was announced with this shipping milestone.
- Vector 2.0's assisted-autonomy feature set matched specifications described at pre-order.
Impact on readiness
- International shipping finally reached customers who had pre-ordered as far back as late 2020.
- Fulfillment began roughly a year later than the company's original 2021 holiday season target.
Claim check3 claims reviewed
Vector 2.0 targeted for retail shelves by the 2021 holiday seasonInternational shipping did not begin until October 2022, per Digital Dream Labs' own press releaseDigital Dream Labs press release describes Vector 2.0 shipping to 65 countriesThe release states US and Canadian orders shipped first, with UK, EU, and remaining regions still catching up as of the announcementPre-orders for Vector 2.0 opened in late 2020A 2024 state consumer-protection complaint later described thousands of orders placed between November 2020 and January 2024 as unfulfilledBottom lineVector 2.0 began reaching customers in October 2022, but the delay from the original holiday 2021 target anticipated the fulfillment problems documented in later litigation.
Technical notes3 sections
- Shipping Rollout
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Digital Dream Labs announced on October 4, 2022 that Vector 2.0 had begun shipping internationally. United States and Canadian pre-orders shipped first, with United Kingdom and European Union distribution following, and the company stated the robot would eventually reach 65 countries in total.
- Background
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Vector 2.0 pre-orders opened on Digital Dream Labs’ website in late 2020, following the company’s acquisition of Anki’s robotics assets and a March 2021 retail distribution agreement with Protempo that had targeted the 2021 holiday season for physical store availability. The October 2022 shipping start came roughly a year after that original target.
- What Followed
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A Pennsylvania Attorney General complaint filed in September 2024 later stated that approximately 14,000 orders for Digital Dream Labs’ robot lines, including Vector 2.0, were placed between November 2020 and January 2024, and that most went unfulfilled.
SourcesPR Newswire 2022-10-04Benzinga 2022-10-04 - 2021
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Digital Dream Labs signs retail deal to bring Vector 2.0 to store shelves
Digital Dream Labs signed a global retail distribution agreement with Protempo to carry Vector 2.0 and Cozmo 2.0 in physical stores, targeting the 2021 holiday season after nearly a year of direct-to-consumer pre-orders.
Full assessment
AutonomyL2 heldReadinessPromising Progress heldScoreScores unchangedThe deal represented Digital Dream Labs' first move beyond its own website since acquiring Anki's robotics assets. Whether retail shelf placement would arrive on the stated holiday timeline remained unconfirmed at announcement.
Impact on autonomy
- No onboard autonomy capability changed; the announcement covered retail distribution only.
- Vector 2.0's assisted-autonomy feature set remained as specified in prior pre-order listings.
Impact on readiness
- Retail distribution expanded planned access beyond Digital Dream Labs' direct pre-order website.
- Holiday 2021 target date was not confirmed against any completed shipments at announcement.
Claim check3 claims reviewed
Vector 2.0 targeted for store shelves in time for the 2021 holiday seasonDigital Dream Labs did not begin shipping Vector 2.0 internationally until October 2022, per the company's own press releaseProtempo global distribution deal would take Vector 2.0 into physical retailDigital Dream Labs continued selling Vector 2.0 primarily through direct online orders years after the deal, per subsequent state litigationPre-orders opened in late 2020 for a relaunched Vector platformA 2024 Pennsylvania Attorney General complaint states orders placed as far back as November 2020 remained unfulfilled by January 2024Bottom lineThe retail deal announced ambitions for store shelves faster than Digital Dream Labs' subsequent shipping and fulfillment record supported.
Technical notes3 sections
- Distribution Agreement
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Digital Dream Labs, which acquired Anki’s robotics and artificial intelligence assets after Anki’s 2019 closure, signed a global retail distribution agreement with Protempo in March 2021. The agreement covered both Cozmo 2.0 and Vector 2.0, the company’s relaunched hardware lines, with a stated goal of placing the robots in physical stores in time for the 2021 holiday season.
- Pre-Order Context
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Vector 2.0 had been available for direct pre-order through Digital Dream Labs’ own website since late 2020. The Protempo deal was reported as the company’s first announced path into brick-and-mortar retail rather than direct online sales alone.
- What Followed
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Digital Dream Labs did not begin shipping Vector 2.0 units internationally until October 2022, according to the company’s own press release, roughly a year after the stated holiday 2021 target. A 2024 Pennsylvania Attorney General complaint later stated that thousands of orders placed between November 2020 and January 2024 went unfulfilled.
SourcesTechCrunch 2021-03-05RoboticsTomorrow 2021-03-05