Walden is designed to be a general-purpose robot that continuously learns while working. Source: Walden Robotics
Physical AI and the promise of general-purpose robotics have drawn investment from technology leaders. Walden Robotics today emerged from stealth with $300 million in funding. The company said it is building and deploying robots that continuously learn and improve while performing real work.
“Core advances in physical AI, and all of the excitement and attention surrounding it, has made disruptive change possible,” stated Dr. Russ Tedrake, co-founder and CEO of Walden. “But providing real value to customers and building a robust and scalable business requires a deep understanding and respect for how manufacturing is done today. The best way to make fast and positive progress is by working closely together with the real experts.”
Tedrake is a professor at MIT and former senior vice president of large behavior models at Toyota Research Institute (TRI), which spun out Walden Robotics in January. His co-founders at the startup include experts in robotics and AI from Stanford and Amazon.
“This team actually invented several of the core innovations that are being used by nearly every physical AI and humanoid startup. You won’t find a stronger team,” Tedrake told The Robot Report. “This team has taken the time to build strong relationships with Toyota; we are very well aligned both technically, and with the core mission about amplifying, not replacing people.”
Robots designed to let people craft with purpose
Cambridge, Mass.-based Walden Robotics said it combines large behavior models (LBMs) with real-world operations. Its expert teams delegate difficult-to-automate tasks so they can focus on problem-solving and judgment.
Tedrake said the company’s name, an allusion to Henry David Thoreau’s book, “reflects the deep-seated principle that this transformative technology should be used to expand human potential and enable everyone to work, craft, and live with greater purpose.”
The technology builds on a decade of research into diffusion policy, the Universal Manipulation Interface (UMI), LBMs, OpenVLA, and the Drake open-source simulator, explained Walden. The company said this enables its robots to quickly learn new tasks such as machine tending, tool setting, parts kitting, and assembly.
The robot has a humanoid torso with two arms and a wheeled base, which Tedrake said makes it easier to certify for safety in factories. Walden also uses imitation learning, simulation, and teleoperation for training dexterous manipulation. The company plans to develop its systems in-house, he added.
“We are very pragmatic about this,” said Tedrake. “We are building the ‘full stack’ — hardware, software, AI, plus the application layer. We are super focused on deploying into real production environments, learning what needs to be improved, and iterating fast. And these lessons have shown us that off-the-shelf technology isn’t quite ready; we need to build to achieve what the customers need.”
Walden Robotics deploys semi-humanoids at Toyota plant
“The focus at Walden is all about deployments,” said Tedrake” This shifts the emphasis in very important ways and forces us to train the models differently. We’re going to share more of those details soon.”
Since February, Walden’s general-purpose robots have working at a Toyota plant in North America, moving from first pilot to production manufacturing and logistics tasks in under two months.
Walden asserted that its robots and AI will satisfy the needs of industries facing labor shortages, demographic shifts, competitive pressure, and increased demand. The company claimed that its robots will be useful across industries, with strategic partners in automotive, aerospace, semiconductors, electronics, and life sciences.
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Walden Robotics said its valuation is $1.1 billion. Toyota Motor Corp., Toyota Invention Partners, and Toyota Ventures led the funding with Deviation Capital. Other participants included NVIDIA, Boeing, AE Ventures, Samsung Ventures, Prologis Ventures, and CoreWeave Ventures.
“Toyota is proud to support Walden and has high expectations for this investment and the deep strategic partnership we are building together,” said Hiroki Nakajima, executive vice president, member of the board of directors and representative director, and chief technology officer of Toyota Motor Corp. “Walden’s uniqueness is its ability to deliver robots that provide value from Day 1 in real-world work environments, robots that continuously improve through learning, while always keeping people at the center.”
“This reflects the values shared by Toyota and Walden, including kaizen, jidoka, and a strong commitment to supporting and developing people,” he added. “Over the long term, we hope to shape the future of manufacturing together and become partners that contribute to improving quality of life for people around the world.”
Calibrate Ventures, Colle Capital, Shine Capital, NextView Ventures, Squarepoint Capital, One Madison Group, KAS Venture Partners, and Menlo Ventures were also among the financial partners.
“The Walden team is generational, bringing together a rare, interdisciplinary group of experts spanning foundational robotics research, large-scale production hardware, and operational and business leadership,” said Colin Beirne, founding partner of Deviation Capital. “They earn their place on the factory floor by doing real work while helping their customers increase their productivity and competitiveness for the long term.”
Walden is designed to improve performance as it operates. Source: Walden Robotics
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