Amazon Enters the Humanoid Race: Acquires Startup Behind Kid-Sized Robot ‘Sprout’
Seattle, March 25, 2026 — In a major move that signals a dramatic shift in the artificial intelligence and robotics landscape, tech giant Amazon has officially acquired New York-based startup Fauna Robotics.
The acquisition directly plunges Amazon into the rapidly accelerating and highly competitive consumer humanoid robot market, positioning the e-commerce titan against the likes of Tesla’s Optimus and startups like Figure AI.
Meet ‘Sprout’: The Approachable Humanoid
At the center of this multi-million dollar acquisition is “Sprout,” Fauna Robotics’ flagship creation.
Unlike the towering, intimidating six-foot industrial machines designed by competitors for factory floors, Sprout was built with the consumer in mind. Standing just 3.5 feet tall and weighing 50 pounds—roughly the size of a ten-year-old child—the bipedal robot is explicitly marketed as “approachable and human-friendly.”
Launched earlier this year in January as a $50,000 developer platform, Sprout can walk autonomously, pick up light objects, and even express emotions through a digital LED facial display and articulated eyebrows. It is designed to safely operate alongside humans in homes, schools, and corporate environments without the need for a safety cage.
A Shift in Amazon’s Robotics Strategy
Amazon is already a global powerhouse in industrial automation, boasting a fleet of over 1 million robots working across its massive fulfillment centers. However, cracking the consumer market has proven far more difficult. The company’s previous attempt at a home robot, the $1,600 wheeled “Astro” released in 2021, saw very limited commercial traction.
By acquiring Fauna Robotics, Amazon is buying proven technology and top-tier talent. Fauna was founded in 2024 by Rob Cochran (former head of product at Meta’s CTRL-labs) and Josh Merel (a former Google DeepMind research scientist). The startup’s 50-person team will now integrate directly into Amazon’s Personal Robotics Group.
The Billion-Dollar Humanoid Race
Following the deal, the startup will officially operate under the banner “Fauna, an Amazon company.” While financial terms of the acquisition have not been publicly disclosed, the strategic intent is clear.
As advances in generative AI, computer vision, and battery efficiency finally catch up to science fiction, the race to put a highly capable humanoid robot in every home and retail space is on. With Amazon’s massive supply chain and AWS infrastructure backing Fauna’s hardware, “Sprout” may soon evolve from an expensive research tool into the ultimate smart-home companion.