Woden client Cartwheel Robotics has received a strategic investment from New Wave Holdings to accelerate the development of advanced humanoid products.
Founded by Scott LaValley, Cartwheel Robotics builds advanced robotics that prioritize bipedal motion and emotional expression to solve complex problems in daily life.
CEO Scott LaValley engaged Woden to uncover a StoryKernel that would translate their sophisticated engineering into a vision that moved beyond industrial utility or viral novelty.
Woden crafted their StoryKernel to address the “uncanny valley” where stilted robotic motion shatters the reality entertainment companies want to create. By reframing the technology around “delight,” the narrative positioned Cartwheel as the only firm capable of bridging the gap between high-performance engineering and the nuanced, lifelike movement required to evoke genuine human emotion.
“Cartwheel Robotics is redefining what it means to bring robotics into daily life,” said Joshua Matettore, CEO of New Wave. “We’re investing in Cartwheel because we believe the next great platform isn’t digital—it walks, listens, learns, and lives beside us.”
Through the StoryKernel, Woden helped Cartwheel translate this reality for the market: robots that move with a presence that feels familiar, functional, and human.
With this new funding, Cartwheel continues to use its narrative to amplify the future of embodied AI, developing robots that move people so they can move the things that matter most.
