Amazonが「親しみやすい」ロボットメーカーFaunaを買収

1 Min ReadAmazon has acquired Fauna Robotics, less than two months after the New York startup emerged from stealth with its “approachable and friendly” humanoid robot, Sprout.While the tech giant has not publicly disclosed the deal, Fauna CEO Rob Cochran confirmed the acquisition on his LinkedIn account on March 24.“Fauna Robotics has officially joined the Amazon family,” he wrote. “Going forward, we will proudly operate as Fauna Robotics, an Amazon company.”Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.Fauna Robotics was founded in 2024 by former Meta and Google engineers. The company launched Sprout in January this year, pitching the small-scale humanoid as an accessible addition to consumer spaces such as homes and schools.“Moving beyond the closed industrial systems of the past, Sprout offers developers, researchers, and creators a platform to build the next generation of embodied intelligence applications,” Fauna said in a release on Sprout’s launch.Related:Nvidia Partners with Chip Software Maker to Close Sim-to-Real GapAt the time, Fauna confirmed Disney and Hyundai’s Boston Dynamics had signed up as early customers.Amazon’s purchase marks its latest push into the robotics market. The e-commerce giant already boasts more than a million robots operating across its warehouses, though the addition of Sprout shifts its pipeline from warehouse to domestic settings.Sprout joins the likes of Astro, Amazon’s roaming personal robot launched in 2021.The acquisition also comes as major tech vendors increasingly invest in humanoid models. Other competitors include Tesla’s Optimus, California-based 1X, Figure AI, Agility Robotics and Chinese robotics firm Unitree.About the AuthorContributing WriterScarlett Evans is a freelance writer with a focus on emerging technologies and the minerals industry. Previously, she served as assistant editor at IoT World Today, where she specialized in robotics and smart city technologies. Scarlett also has a background in the mining and resources sector, with experience at Mine Australia, Mine Technology and Power Technology. She joined Informa in April 2022 before transitioning to freelance work.