Amazon has acquired New York-based startup Fauna Robotics.
The deal, first reported by Bloomberg, was completed last week, according to people familiar with the matter. Financial terms were not disclosed. The acquisition places Amazon alongside a growing list of tech giants exploring human-like machines designed for homes and everyday environments, not just warehouses.
Founded in 2024 by former engineers from Meta and Google, Fauna Robotics has been developing a compact humanoid robot, “Sprout.”
The machine stands about 42 inches tall and is designed to interact naturally with people. It can walk, grip objects, hold conversations, and even perform gestures like waving or giving high fives. According to Bloomberg, the robot is aimed at tasks such as picking up toys or fetching items in homes and offices.
Sprout has already been deployed to research and development partners earlier this year, with a price tag of around $50,000. It also includes a developer platform that allows engineers and researchers to build custom applications on top of it.
Amazon confirmed the acquisition and signaled its broader ambitions in personal robotics. “We are excited about Fauna’s vision to build capable, safe, and fun robots for everyone,” an Amazon spokesperson said in a statement cited by Bloomberg.
“Together with Amazon’s robotics expertise and decades of experience earning customer trust in the home through our retail and devices businesses, we’re looking forward to inventing new ways to make our customers’ lives better and easier,” the spokesperson added, according to Bloomberg.
Fauna’s roughly 50 employees, including co-founders Rob Cochran and Josh Merel, will join Amazon, and the startup will operate as “Fauna, an Amazon company.” The team is also expected to join Amazon’s Personal Robotics Group.
In a LinkedIn post, Cochran shared his excitement about the acquisition and what comes next for the company.
“I am incredibly excited to share that Fauna Robotics has officially joined the Amazon family,” Cochran wrote. “We are thrilled about what joining the Amazon team means for our future. Going forward, we will proudly operate as Fauna Robotics, an Amazon company.”
He also reassured customers that Fauna’s current products and support will continue without disruption.
A crowded and competitive field
Amazon’s move puts it in direct competition with other major players racing to build humanoid robots. These include projects like Tesla’s Optimus, as well as efforts from Boston Dynamics and startups such as Figure AI.
The company has experimented in this space before, notably with its home robot Amazon Astro, which saw limited adoption after its 2021 launch. Still, Amazon has deep experience in robotics, with over a decade of investment largely focused on warehouse automation.
Despite the acquisition, Amazon has not yet revealed exactly how it plans to commercialize Fauna’s technology. Bloomberg reports that the company is not currently planning to deploy the robots in its operations and is still exploring how the product might reach consumers.
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