OpenMind’s $20M robotic dogs head to homes for AI testing next month

San Francisco AI startup OpenMind is preparing to deploy robotic quadruped dogs into homes next month for real-world testing, marking a significant step toward bringing autonomous household robots to market. The company recently raised $20 million in funding and will roll out 10 “thinking dogs” to collect data and refine the technology for applications ranging from home security to eldercare assistance.

What you should know: OpenMind’s robotic dogs are designed to autonomously navigate homes and interact meaningfully with residents.

• The quadrupeds can explore houses independently, locate their owners after extended absences, and perform wellness checks to ensure residents are safe.
• Testing applications will include math tutoring for children, home security monitoring, and caregiving assistance for seniors.
• Company founder Jan Liphardt, a Stanford engineering professor, says the technology is “essentially ready to go now.”

The funding and growth: OpenMind has rapidly scaled from a garage startup to a funded AI robotics company in just one year.

• The company secured $20 million in its latest funding round and is now searching for larger manufacturing space in San Francisco.
• Just a year ago, the startup was operating out of Liphardt’s Palo Alto garage before establishing its current San Francisco operations.

Market demand driving real estate shift: AI startups are creating unprecedented demand for manufacturing space in San Francisco, traditionally a software-focused market.

• According to Cushman & Wakefield, a commercial real estate firm, only one tenant sought manufacturing space last year (about 3,000 square feet), compared to 10 tenants this year requesting over 650,000 square feet of production, distribution, and repair (PDR) space.
• Companies from automotive to robotics and chip makers are seeking San Francisco locations to stay close to the city’s AI ecosystem.
• San Francisco currently has just 8 million square feet zoned for manufacturing, compared to Silicon Valley’s 160 million square feet of research and development space.

What they’re saying: Public reaction to the robotic dogs has been notably positive during street demonstrations.

• “I’ve seen robots before, the bigger ones trying to be industrial and stuff, but I’ve not seen one as approachable and as engaging as these guys. Very cool,” said Bob Shuttle, an onlooker at a SOMA park demonstration.
• “Our main priority is to prove that the notion of Thinking Machines broadly deployed into homes, hospitals, schools is no longer science fiction,” Liphardt explained.

Why this matters: OpenMind’s home deployment represents a crucial transition from laboratory robotics to real-world consumer applications, potentially accelerating the adoption of household AI assistants while demonstrating San Francisco’s evolution from a pure software hub to a hardware manufacturing center.