Feather Robotics is building a modular humanoid robot platform that lets developers customise hardware and run robotics AI models from different providers, as the startup looks to become what its founders call the “Android of robotics”.
The US-based startup, founded in 2025, has already started selling its robots and crossed $1 million in revenue.
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Feather Robotics Targets Developers with Modular Humanoid Robots
Hoa Mai and Parsa Bakhtiari founded the startup in 2025. Mai previously ran a humanoid robotics startup that 1X acquired, while Bakhtiari is a former Tesla Model 3 engineer who once reported directly to Elon Musk.
Unlike Tesla and Figure, which are developing both humanoid hardware and foundational AI systems, Feather Robotics is focusing on giving developers hardware and software they can use for real-world applications today.
Its modular system lets developers reconfigure the robot for different jobs, including adjusting arm lengths. The robots are already being used as cooks in restaurants and for cleaning science laboratories, although Feather has not disclosed its customers.
The hardware can also run robotics AI models from leading providers, including NVIDIA, Skild and Physical Intelligence.
Gradient Ventures backed Feather Robotics at its inception and led its previously announced $7.6 million pre-seed funding round.
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$30,000 Robot Targets a Growing Physical AI Market
Feather Robotics has priced its robot at $30,000, around half the price of Unitree’s H2 Edu.
“The price could make the robot an alternative to hiring a worker at an annual cost of $50,000 to $60,000, before training and other support costs,” said Darian Shirazi, Gradient general partner at Feather Robotics.
Shirazi also added Feather has no direct US competitor and described the market as divided between domestic robot startups such as Sunday, general-purpose robotics companies such as Figure and Tesla and Feather’s modular humanoid platform.
“Feather took inspiration from Chinese robotics companies such as Unitree,” said Hoa Mai, CEO and Co-founder, Feather Robotics.
With foreign-made models now restricted from entering the US market, he noted, Feather has an opportunity as a domestic alternative.
The startup has spent only a fraction of its pre-seed funding, according to Shirazi, and is preparing for a larger product launch after resolving most issues identified during a year of field testing.
Feather’s larger bet is on the ecosystem built around its robots. Mai expects thousands of physical AI application companies to exist within five years. Feather aims to provide the platform those companies build on.
Feather Robotics’ approach shifts the focus from building one all-purpose robot to creating a platform developers can adapt for different jobs. Its next test will be whether that model can scale beyond early deployments into the broader physical AI market.
Samarjit Kaur is a journalist and communications professional covering technology & emerging digital trends. With a focus on clarity and context, she reports on developments shaping industries and governance. When not reporting, she chooses to plug-in and relax on her playlists and plan her next bucket-list trips!
