Walden Robotics Launches with $300M and Humanoid Robots Without Legs
Walden Robotics has emerged from stealth with $300 million in funding and a $1.1 billion valuation. The Toyota spin-off specializes in building humanoids for factories, but intentionally left off legs.
Russ Tedrake, founder of Walden Robotics, explains to Bloomberg why his robots roll on wheels instead of walk on legs: "If you listen to the people on the factory floor, they aren’t ready, and they don’t want them yet."
The company, based in Cambridge, has already deployed its robots in a Toyota factory in North America since February. These robots take on mundane tasks such as loading and unloading car parts, cleaning machinery, and kitting parts for assembly.
A Unique Approach
Unlike other humanoid robot companies focused on walking machines, Walden pairs a humanoid upper body with a wheeled base for safety and practicality reasons. Wheeled robots can more easily slow down and stop around people and carry larger batteries and more computing power, making them better suited for an eight-hour work shift.
Strong Backing
Walden secured funding from Toyota and Deviation Capital with contributions from Nvidia, Boeing, Samsung Ventures, and CoreWeave Ventures. This is a significant investment for a company just six months old.
Market Potential
The market for humanoid robots is projected to reach $5 trillion by 2050 according to Morgan Stanley. Companies like 1X, LimX, Booster, Hyundai (using Boston Dynamics’ Atlas), and others are also investing heavily in this space. However, Tedrake emphasizes the need for a strong business case and unit economics to ensure success.