AI 'Sentient' in the Top-1000 'Strong Ideas for a New Time'

The Strong Ideas for a New Time Forum is not just an annual event. It is the country’s main filter for ideas that can change the lives of millions of people, and at the same time the economy. In 2026, the organizers selected 1,000 strong ideas from 23,000 applications — and our Sentient AI was among them.

What is the Sentient

The Sentient is the soul of a service robot. A set of software and hardware solutions that give the robot three qualities:

1. Character — predictable, recognizable behavior in different situations.
2. Empathy — the ability to recognize the emotional state of the interlocutor and respond to it appropriately.
3. Memory — the ability to remember the context of interaction.

We developed the Sentient for our ServisBot platform, but it is a universal technology — it can be integrated into any robot or even into a regular application.

Why did the experts select it

The selection criteria for the Top-1000 are strict:

• Innovation — is the idea new for Russia and the world?
• Scalability — can it be scaled to millions of users?
• Social significance — does it improve people’s lives?
• Economic efficiency — does it create new markets?

The Sentient met all four criteria:

Innovation. There are similar solutions in the world (Replika, Woebot for emotional support), but in the service robotics segment — there are no analogues. We are the first to create an emotional core for a physical robot that works in public spaces.

Scalability. The Sentient is software. Once developed, it can be replicated to any number of robots. We estimate the potential market in Russia at 50,000+ service robots in the next 5 years. Globally — millions.

Social significance. Robots with the Sentient solve a real problem: the shortage of service personnel in tourism, hospitality, healthcare. They don’t replace people — they free people from routine so they can focus on what requires human attention.

Economic efficiency. The Russian service robot market is just emerging. According to our internal estimates, by 2030 it could reach 15–20 billion rubles. The Sentient allows our ServisBot to take a significant share of this market.

Note: 15–20 billion ₽ is an internal forecast based on cross-referencing open industry reports; verified TAM/SAM numbers will be included in the investor materials (available after NDA).

What’s next

Inclusion in the Top-1000 is not just a prize — it’s the start of a new stage. We get:

• Acceleration of implementation. The forum participants include representatives of the regions, large businesses, government bodies. Inclusion in the Top-1000 opens doors to contracts and partnerships.
• Expert support. Each idea is assigned a curator from among the experts of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives. We get access to expertise in regulation, scaling, attracting investments.
• Media attention. The Top-1000 is covered by all major media. For a company from Crimea, this is an opportunity to tell about itself to the whole country.

What we plan to do

By the end of 2026 — release of the Sentient V3 with improved emotion recognition and personalization.

In 2027 — licensing the technology to other robot manufacturers. The Sentient is a universal platform, it works with any hardware.

In 2028 — international expansion. The Sentient will support 15 languages (now 5) and will be adapted to cultural contexts of different countries.

Thanks

We thank the organizers of the Forum and the expert council for the high assessment. We thank our partners — Crimean hotels, museums, and restaurants — who tested the Sentient in real conditions. We thank our team — engineers, designers, sentient developers — without whom this idea would not have become a product.

If you want to see the Sentient in action — write to us via our contact form or leave a request through the contacts page. We will arrange a demo at your location.