Bear Robotics acquires Kinisi Robotics to add manipulation capabilities to its deployed commercial robot fleet, completing an end-to-end physical AI platform.

What happened

Bear Robotics signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kinisi Robotics, integrating Kinisi's KR1 humanoid robot, Bristol-based engineering team, and physical AI capabilities into Bear's platform. The companies expect to close the transaction in the coming days. Brennand Pierce, a co-founder of Bear who founded Kinisi, will join Bear's leadership team as Chief Robotics Officer upon closing.

What to watch

Kinisi's proprietary technology includes a vision-language-action model, robot foundation model, in-house gripper design, and a low-cost glove for capturing manipulation demonstrations. The Bristol office will continue as a strategic engineering hub for Bear under Pierce's leadership, extending Bear's footprint into the United Kingdom alongside its existing Bay Area operations.