Amazon enters the humanoid robot market, acquires Fauna Robotics

Amazon announced the acquisition of Fauna Robotics, a New York City-based startup that launched its Sprout humanoid robot in January 2026.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Sprout is currently utilized by Boston Dynamics, Disney

Fauna Robotics launched in February 2024 and emerged from stealth mode alongside the Sprout news.

“Sprout is a friendly and capable humanoid robot platform designed to operate safely in shared human spaces,” Fauna Robotics said in its Sprout news release. “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."

The company added that early customers utilizing Sprout include Disney, Boston Dynamics, UC San Diego and NYU.

In a LinkedIn post announcing the company’s acquisition by Amazon, Fauna Robotics co-founder and CEO Rob Cochran posted on LinkedIn about the acquisition by Amazon.

“I am incredibly excited to share that Fauna Robotics has officially joined the Amazon family,” Cochran wrote. “When we launched in NYC back in February 2024, we set out with a clear mission: to 'build capable, safe, and fun robots for everyone. Looking back at how far we've come in just two years, I am immensely proud of everything our team has accomplished.”

Amazon expands with another acquisition

For Amazon, the acquisition represents a move toward humanoid robots for the e-commerce giant.

“We are excited about Fauna’s vision to build capable, safe, and fun robots for everyone,” an Amazon spokesperson told CNBC in a statement. “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.”

In mid-March 2026, Amazon announced another acquisition, this time scooping up RIVR for an undisclosed amount.

RIVR is a Switzerland-based robotics company that develops machines for “doorstep delivery.” Veho and RIVR announced a partnership in October 2025 to improve e-commerce delivery through AI-powered robots.