With an open, hardware-agnostic OS and a protocol for machine collaboration, OpenMind is positioning itself as the software backbone of the robotics future.
OpenMind’s Vision: Software as the Soul of Robotics
While many robotics companies are focused on building physical machines, OpenMind is going after the software layer—the part that makes robots not just move, but think, learn, and collaborate.
- Founded in 2024 by Stanford professor Jan Liphardt, OpenMind is developing OM1, an open-source operating system for humanoid and mobile robots.
- The company likens its platform to Android, aiming to become the default OS for a fragmented and fast-evolving robotics landscape.
“We think of ourselves as a collaboration between machines and humans,” Liphardt said. “This world is opening where machines can interact with humans in ways I’ve never before seen.”
OM1: Built for Flexibility and Human-Like Thinking
The OM1 system is designed to be hardware-agnostic, capable of running on various robotic platforms — from humanoids to quadrupeds. As robots shift from industrial settings into homes and human-centered environments, Liphardt argues that legacy control systems won’t cut it.
- OM1 aims to support natural interaction, adaptive behavior, and shared learning across machines.
- The system is built to be iterative and user-feedback driven, allowing OpenMind to rapidly evolve the platform based on real-world deployments.
FABRIC: A Protocol for Robotic Collaboration
On Monday, OpenMind unveiled FABRIC, a protocol that enables robots to identify themselves, share context, and collaborate across locations or platforms — essentially a trust and communication layer for machines.
- FABRIC allows robots to instantly share learnings, such as how to speak different languages or perform certain tasks.
- This contrasts with the slower, individual learning process of humans, giving machines a major advantage in networked intelligence.
“Humans take it for granted they can interact with any other human on Earth,” said Liphardt. “Machines are going to be no different.”
First Deployment: OM1-Powered Robotic Dogs
To get its tech into real-world settings quickly, OpenMind plans to ship its first fleet of 10 OM1-powered robotic dogs by September.
- These four-legged bots will be hosted by human testers, providing OpenMind with the feedback needed to fine-tune OM1.
- Liphardt believes in launching early and improving quickly: “We expect a long list of things users didn’t like — and it’s up to us to iterate fast.”
This approach echoes startup philosophies in software — a rarity in the typically hardware-heavy robotics world.
Backing and Future Focus
OpenMind has raised a $20 million funding round, led by Pantera Capital and joined by Ribbit, Coinbase Ventures, Pebblebed, and other strategic angels.
- The funding will support product testing, development, and scaling the OM1 platform.
- The company is focused on finding real-world use cases where OM1-powered robots can make meaningful impact — starting in homes.
Toward a Networked Robotic Ecosystem
OpenMind’s core thesis is that the next generation of robots must be collaborative, connected, and rapidly adaptive — and that building the software to power this future is more urgent than ever.
“The most important thing for us is to get robots out there and get feedback,” said Liphardt. “We want to identify the most interesting opportunities where robots can truly help people.”
If successful, OpenMind’s OM1 OS and FABRIC protocol could provide the missing infrastructure needed for humanoid robots to go mainstream, much like Android did for smartphones.
