In recent days, Amazon, a leading e-commerce provider, distribution center operator, cloud market giant, and AI technology company, announced the acquisition of two startups: Rivr, a developer of automated robots, and Fauna Robotics, a humanoid robot developer. The acquisitions aim to enhance services in both e-commerce and home device sectors.
Last week (19 Mar 2026), CNBC reported that Amazon acquired the Swiss startup Rivr, which develops robots specialized in delivering items directly to customers' doorsteps. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Rivr specializes in robots designed specifically for the last-mile delivery to customers' front doors. Their robots can navigate obstacles, uneven terrain, and even climb stairs using four legs equipped with wheels.
Amazon views this technology as a way to enhance last-mile package delivery, a process often handled by third-party carriers who pick up parcels from warehouses and deliver them to customers. Amazon stated, “We believe this technology, when combined with delivery personnel, has the potential to improve safety and the overall customer experience.”
Most recently, on Tuesday (24 Mar 2026), Bloomberg reported that Amazon announced it had acquired Fauna Robotics, a startup developing approachable humanoid robots, focusing on advancing its home device business.
Similarly, the financial details of this deal were not made public. Fauna was founded by former engineers from Meta and Google and developed a humanoid robot named Sprout, a friendly two-legged robot designed to be approachable.
This robot stands about one meter tall and weighs approximately 23 kilograms. It was developed as a home robot and allows software developers to create additional applications. It is already available for purchase at $50,000 USD, or over 1.6 million baht.
An Amazon spokesperson said, “We are excited about Fauna’s vision to create capable, safe, and enjoyable robots for everyone.” They added, “With Amazon’s robotics expertise and decades of experience building trust with home users through our retail and device businesses, the company expects to invent new ways to improve and simplify customers’ lives.”
For more than a decade, Amazon has continuously invested in robotics technology, focusing mainly on warehouse applications. A key deal was the 2012 acquisition of Kiva Systems for over $775 million USD, which became the foundation of Amazon Robotics, managing automation in the company’s warehouses.
Amazon revealed it has installed more than one million robots across its operational network. Regarding the Rivr acquisition, Amazon emphasized, “We are still in the early stages of this journey. As we advance, we will collaborate to test this technology in real-world scenarios, gather insights, and use customer feedback to expand this technology in the future.”
Previously, Amazon had invested in Rivr through the Industrial Innovation Fund, a $1 billion USD fund launched in 2022 to support warehouse and logistics technology. Jeff Bezos’s investment firm, Bezos Expeditions, also participated in Rivr’s seed funding round with over $22 million USD when Rivr was still called Swiss-Mile.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Jeff Bezos is currently in preliminary talks to raise up to $100 billion USD for a fund aimed at acquiring companies in key manufacturing industries such as semiconductors, defense, and aerospace. The fund will leverage AI to accelerate automation in these industrial sectors.
Regarding humanoid robots, Amazon previously tested entering the home robot market by launching “Astro,” a personal mobile robot in 2021 priced at $1,600 USD, but purchases were limited to invite-only customers.
This acquisition of Fauna reflects Amazon’s entry into the competitive humanoid robot market, which already includes many tech companies, both large and small, such as Tesla, 1X, Figure AI, Apptronik, Agility Robotics, and China’s Unitree. All are racing to develop technologies to capture market share in this emerging field.
Follow the Facebook page: Thairath Money at this link -https://www.facebook.com/ThairathMoney