Amazon acquires 'approachable' humanoid maker Fauna Robotics

Amazon has officially acquired Fauna Robotics, a startup recognized for its development of user-friendly humanoid robots tailored for both consumers and businesses. The specifics of the financial agreement have not been made public. An Amazon representative expressed enthusiasm regarding Fauna's innovative approach to creating safe, functional, and enjoyable robots for everyone. They stated, "Combining Amazon's extensive robotics knowledge with our longstanding commitment to customer trust through our retail and device sectors, we are eager to explore new avenues to enhance our customers' lives." Founded in 2024 by former engineers from Meta and Google, Fauna Robotics recently introduced its flagship product, Sprout. This bipedal robot, priced at $50,000, stands at 3.5 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds. It is designed to be approachable and developer-friendly. Early adopters of Sprout include notable companies like Disney and Hyundai's Boston Dynamics. Fauna's team of approximately 50 employees will be integrated into Amazon's New York City operations. Rob Cochran, co-founder and CEO of Fauna, shared his excitement on LinkedIn about joining the Amazon family, highlighting the promising future ahead for Fauna Robotics as an Amazon entity. Amazon's investment in robotics spans over a decade, primarily targeting warehouse automation. The company's acquisition of Kiva Systems for $775 million in 2012 laid the groundwork for Amazon Robotics. Recently, Amazon has resumed its acquisition strategy to enhance its robotics capabilities, including the purchase of Rivr, a Swiss firm focused on delivery robots. The tech giant aims to harness its expertise in robotics and extensive experience in retail to unlock the potential of personal robots for improving customer experiences. Amazon has previously ventured into the home robotics sector with Astro, a compact personal robot introduced in 2021, which is available only by invitation at a price of $1,600. With the acquisition of Fauna Robotics, Amazon is stepping into the competitive humanoid robot arena, where it will face rivals including Tesla, which is developing its own humanoid robot named Optimus, and other companies like 1X, Figure AI, Apptronik, Agility Robotics, and China's Unitree.