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Amazon buys Fauna Robotics, maker of the
Sprout humanoid robot
[March 25, 2026]
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon has acquired Fauna Robotics, just under
two months after the startup introduced a humanoid robot called Sprout
designed to be a friendly addition to social spaces like homes and
schools.
The e-commerce giant is already a robotics powerhouse, having boasted of
deploying more than 1 million robots across its warehouse operations,
but bringing the 1.5-foot-tall, rectangular-headed Sprout on board adds
a robot that's more about fun interactions than heavy lifting. |
Kel Guerin, Fauna Robotics VP of platform architecture, demonstrates how
to operate Sprout, Fauna Robotics' new robot, remotely during a
demonstration in New York, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) |
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Fauna CEO Rob Cochran said on social media he was “incredibly
excited to share that Fauna Robotics has officially joined the
Amazon family” and said the New York-based firm will now
“operate as Fauna Robotics, an Amazon company.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Amazon said the company's founders and employees will join
Amazon in New York and will be looking for "new ways to make our
customers’ lives better and easier.”
Fauna's debut product, launched in January, is a software
developer platform more than just a robot, sold to academic and
corporate research laboratories that are exploring robotics in
the home. Early customers included Disney.
The $50,000 Sprout can’t lift heavy objects, but it can dance
the Twist or the Floss, grab a toy block or teddy bear, or hoist
itself from a chair and take a stroll.
Amazon, which also makes the artificial intelligence assistant
Alexa that's already present in many homes, has had some
challenges in recent years in expanding into consumer robotics.
Amazon called off its purchase of robot vacuum maker iRobot in
2024 after facing regulatory hurdles in Europe and the United
States.
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