Silicon Valley-based OpenMind announced its software layer, OM1, designed to serve as an operating system for humanoid robots. The company positions OM1 as an open, hardware-agnostic platform, comparable to Android, enabling compatibility with various robotic systems.

OpenMind was founded in 2024 by Stanford professor Jan Liphardt, it focuses on software to support complex human-to-machine interactions, particularly for humanoid robots in domestic settings. Liphardt highlighted the need for a new operating system to handle these interactions, stating, “This world is opening where machines are able to interact with humans in ways I’ve certainly never before seen.”

Key details about OpenMind’s initiatives include:

1. FABRIC Protocol: Introduced on August 4, 2025, FABRIC enables robots to verify identities and share information, such as language skills, with other robots. This allows machines to learn and adapt quickly without direct human training.
2. First Deployment: OpenMind plans to ship 10 OM1-powered quadrupeds by September 2025, aiming to gather user feedback to refine the technology. Liphardt noted, “We full well expect all the humans that will be hosting these quadrupeds, they’ll come back with a long list of things they didn’t like or they want.”
3. Funding: The company recently raised $20 million in a funding round led by Pantera Capital, with participation from Ribbit, Coinbase Ventures, Pebblebed, and other strategic and angel investors.
4. Focus on Iteration: OpenMind emphasizes real-world testing to identify opportunities where current robot capabilities align with user needs. Liphardt said, “Our goal as a company is to do as many of these tests as we can, so that we can very rapidly identify the most interesting opportunities where the capabilities of the robots today are optimally matched against what humans are looking for.”

OpenMind aims to deploy its technology in homes, using feedback to improve OM1 and position it as an enabler for human-robot collaboration.