Silicon Valley-based startup OpenMind has raised $20 million to build OM1, a new open operating system for humanoid robots. Unlike other robotics companies focused on physical components like mobility or object manipulation, OpenMind is developing the software layer that will power a new generation of more intelligent and adaptive machines. Founded by Stanford professor Jan Liphardt, OpenMind envisions OM1 as the Android of robotics — a modular, open-source OS that’s hardware agnostic and designed to enable more natural human–machine interactions. “Humanoids have long existed for repetitive tasks,” Liphardt told TechCrunch, “but now we’re entering a world where machines are interacting with humans in ways we’ve never seen before.” As humanoid robots begin to appear in more domestic and service-oriented roles, the need for software that supports real-time communication, contextual understanding, and emotional intelligence has grown. OM1 is designed to bridge that gap, acting as the ‘mind’ behind the humanoid ‘body.’ Alongside the funding announcement, OpenMind also introduced a new identity-sharing protocol called FABRIC, which enables robots to exchange information and verify context when interacting with other machines or people. The goal is to create a truly interoperable AI robotics ecosystem, where different humanoids can share experience, purpose, and awareness. OpenMind says its software-first approach will accelerate development across the robotics field by lowering barriers to entry and empowering a global developer community — much like Android did for smartphones.