Fauna Robotics: who's behind the brand and how to get the robot at an event

Written by ROBOTio Team · · 5 min read

Article summary

Fauna Robotics from New York manufactures the compact humanoid Sprout for developers and schools. We won't rent it at events in Czechia, but we have Unitree G1 and H2 from our own fleet.

Fauna Robotics is a New York-based company that manufactures the Sprout humanoid: a 107 cm tall robot for developers, schools and laboratories. Since March 2026, it has been owned by Amazon and sells only in the USA. ROBOTio does not rent or sell Sprout, so you cannot order it for an event in Czechia or Europe. For the same purpose – a compact humanoid among people – we offer Unitree G1 or H2 from our own fleet, including two operators for each robot. ## Who's behind Fauna Robotics The company was founded in 2024 in New York by Rob Cochran (CEO, formerly CTRL-labs/Meta) and Josh Merel (CTO, formerly DeepMind). A seed round was announced in April 2025, led by Kleiner Perkins alongside Quiet Capital and Lux Capital. The company launched and began delivering Sprout in Creator Edition on 27 January 2026. On 24 March 2026, Amazon announced its acquisition. The company continues to operate as 'Fauna Robotics, an Amazon company' and had around 50 employees at the time of acquisition. Analysts view the acquisition as a purchase of tools and expertise for humanoids, not a consumer product. Amazon has not disclosed its long-term strategy, so further conclusions cannot be drawn. You can find a detailed brand profile on the [Fauna Robotics](https://robotio.eu/brands/fauna-robotics) page. ## What is Sprout and what about 'AR-1' In overview graphics, Sprout is sometimes referred to as 'AR-1'. We have not found such designation in the manufacturer's documentation. The manufacturer specifies only the Sprout model, so we write about it under this name. Specifications according to the manufacturer: - height 107 cm, weight 22.7 kg, - 29 degrees of freedom, three-fingered gripper on each hand, - swappable battery with 3–3.5 hour runtime, - NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin 64 GB compute unit, - ZED 2i camera, ToF sensors, IMU, four microphones, speakers and LED face with motorised "eyebrows", - Fauna SDK in Python and C++, support for Isaac Sim, Gazebo and MuJoCo simulators. All specifications can be found in the [Fauna Sprout](https://robotio.eu/fauna-sprout) profile. We have also written a more detailed analysis in the article [Fauna Sprout (AR-1): specifications and availability](https://robotio.eu/blog/fauna-sprout-maly-humanoid-pro-vyvojare-akce). ## What Sprout can do The robot comes with pre-trained movements: walking, kneeling, sitting, climbing, jumping, dancing and waving. In addition, it has indoor navigation, voice commands and conversation capabilities. Developers can programme more complex behaviours via the SDK, and the AI architecture is open ('bring your own model'). Safety for the environment is also noteworthy. Sprout features a soft shell, minimised pinch points, back-drivable motors and an independent safety subsystem. This makes sense for a robot designed to move near people and in classrooms. It is used by university laboratories (UC San Diego, NYU), for example, and Disney was among the first customers. Boston Dynamics and corporate teams test their own behaviours on it before deploying to larger platforms. ## Why we don't rent it at events The reasons are practical: - **Availability:** Fauna Robotics sells only in the USA. - **Service in Europe:** is lacking. At a live event, you cannot risk a robot without support. - **Focus:** Sprout is a developer platform. On stage or in a booth, you primarily need reliable performance, an approved persona and operators. We are monitoring whether availability in Europe changes. For now, the model's status is: no event rental, no sales or imports. ## How to achieve a similar effect at an event A compact, striking humanoid that is not afraid of crowds is a good idea for family and tech events. We arrange this differently. ### Unitree G1 for children, families and photography G1 stands 135 cm tall and is suited for dancing, photography and brief conversations with guests. The robot speaks in the language the guest uses (the website supports 13 languages), and the persona and responses are pre-approved. The robot maintains its own balance; direction and gestures are controlled by an operator. Each robot is attended by two operators throughout the event. You can see how this works in practice with our [photography robot](https://robotio.eu/robot-hire-by-event-type). The [Unitree G1 EDU](https://robotio.eu/unitree-g1-edu) page describes a variant with a more open platform. ### Unitree H2 for large stages H2 stands 180 cm tall and is visible from a distance. It is suitable for trade shows, stage performances or conference openings. We can deploy up to 4 humanoids at a single event. That multiple robots work together is demonstrated by [PX Party 2026 with three humanoids on one stage](https://robotio.eu/case-study/px-party-2026-tri-humanoidni-roboti). The [Unitree Robotics](https://robotio.eu/brands/unitree) page introduces the manufacturer of G1 and H2. ## Schools and developers Sprout heads in the same direction as Unitree G1 EDU: teaching, research and an open platform. For Czech schools today, we recommend G1 EDU and the [ROBOTio Academy](https://robotio.eu/academy) programme. If you need a demonstration for students, also review our [school robot](https://robotio.eu/robot-hire-by-event-type). If you need to compare platforms by SDK, sensors and service, we can help and you can choose based on what you really need from the robot. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can Fauna Sprout be rented for an event in Czechia? No. ROBOTio does not have it in its fleet and the manufacturer sells only in the USA. We can arrange a similar format with Unitree G1. ### What is Fauna AR-1? A designation from overview graphics. The manufacturer does not specify such a model; it specifies only Sprout. ### Is Sprout suitable for schools? Yes, it is purpose-built for them: lightweight, soft shell, SDK and simulators. However, service is lacking in Europe, so for Czech schools we recommend G1 EDU. ### What is the cost of robot rental? Prices are not listed on the website. We will send the price for G1 or H2 on request via the enquiry form; we deliver quotes within 24 hours. ## Want a humanoid for your event? Tell us what kind of event it is, and we will advise on G1 or H2. We will send you a non-binding quote within 24 hours via the [robot rental form](https://robotio.eu/robot-rental).

Want to see a humanoid at your own event? Find out how to rent a humanoid robot with our own operators.

Category

technologie

Tags

  • Fauna Robotics
  • Fauna Sprout
  • humanoid robots
  • robot rental
  • Unitree G1
  • robot for events

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ROBOTio helps companies rent, demonstrate and integrate humanoid robots: Unitree G1 and H2 for events, trade fairs, conferences and marketing campaigns — always with our own operators.