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 3.5-foot-tall, rectangular-headed Sprout on board adds a robot that’s more about fun interactions than heavy lifting.
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.
Consumer sentiment slips
U.S. consumer sentiment slid to a three-month low in March and year-ahead inflation expectations jumped as the war in the Middle East drives up gasoline prices.
The University of Michigan’s final March sentiment index fell to 53.3 from a preliminary reading of 55.5, according to a report released Friday. The survey period includes responses from Feb. 17 to March 23, with about two-thirds of those collected after the Iran war began.
Consumers expect prices to rise at an annual rate of 3.8% over the next year from 3.4% a month earlier, the biggest increase since April 2025. At the same time, longer-term inflation expectations eased.
Gasoline prices have shot up about $1 a gallon on average in the U.S. since the start of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran, which is entering its fifth week. This jolt is compounded by existing worries over higher costs for everyday goods and risks causing consumers to cut back on discretionary spending.
