Amazon has completed its purchase of Fauna Robotics, a startup that recently launched a social humanoid robot called Sprout just weeks ago. The acquisition comes as the tech giant continues expanding its robotics portfolio beyond warehouse automation.
While Amazon already operates more than one million robots in its fulfillment centers for heavy-duty tasks, the Sprout robot represents a shift toward consumer-friendly robotics focused on entertainment and social interaction rather than industrial work. The compact robot stands just 1.5 feet tall and features a distinctive rectangular head design.
Fauna Robotics CEO Rob Cochran announced the news on social media, stating he was “incredibly excited to share that Fauna Robotics has officially joined the Amazon family.” He confirmed the New York-based startup will continue operating under the name “Fauna Robotics, an Amazon company.”
Neither company revealed the purchase price or financial details of the transaction.
According to Amazon, Fauna’s founding team and staff will relocate to Amazon’s New York operations, where they’ll focus on “new ways to make our customers’ lives better and easier.”
Fauna launched its flagship product this past January, positioning it as a development platform for researchers rather than just a consumer robot. The company has been selling the technology to university labs and corporate research facilities studying home robotics applications, with Disney among its early clients.
Priced at $50,000, the Sprout robot lacks heavy lifting capabilities but excels at entertainment functions. It can perform popular dances like the Twist and the Floss, pick up small items such as toy blocks and stuffed animals, and even stand up from furniture to walk around.
This acquisition represents Amazon’s continued push into home robotics, building on its existing Alexa voice assistant technology already present in millions of households. However, the company has faced setbacks in this sector recently.
Amazon abandoned its planned acquisition of Roomba manufacturer iRobot last year after encountering regulatory opposition from both European and American authorities.
