Insider Brief
- Mobileye agreed to acquire Mentee Robotics for $900 million in a deal expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, marking the company’s formal expansion from automotive autonomy into humanoid robotics and broader Physical AI.
- The acquisition brings together Mobileye’s perception, planning and safety systems with Mentee’s vertically integrated humanoid platform, which is designed for cost-efficient deployment using simulation-first training and few-shot learning rather than continuous teleoperation.
- Mobileye said initial autonomous proof-of-concept deployments are planned for 2026 with series production targeted for 2028, while the transaction modestly increases operating expenses and positions the company to apply a shared autonomy stack across vehicles and robots.
Autonomous driving technology company Mobileye announced it has agreed to acquire Mentee Robotics Ltd. for $900 million, a move that expands the company beyond automotive autonomy and into humanoid robotics as it pushes toward what it describes as physical artificial Intelligence. The transaction, expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, would combine Mobileye’s autonomous-driving software, safety frameworks and production experience with Mentee’s vertically integrated humanoid robot platform.
The deal reflects Mobileye’s effort to apply the same perception, planning and safety systems developed for vehicles to machines that operate directly alongside people. Mobileye said its autonomy stack has evolved in recent years from goal-based navigation toward broader context-aware and intent-aware reasoning, a capability it views as transferable to general-purpose robots.
Mentee, founded four years ago, has developed a third-generation humanoid robot designed for cost-efficient deployment rather than laboratory demonstrations. The company’s platform integrates in-house hardware and software with an AI system built around simulation-first training, human-to-robot mentoring and few-shot learning. Instead of relying heavily on large-scale real-world data collection or continuous teleoperation, Mentee’s approach is designed to allow robots to acquire new skills from limited demonstrations and intent cues.
Mobileye said the acquisition will accelerate Mentee’s commercialization timeline. Initial proof-of-concept deployments at customer sites are expected in 2026, with autonomous operation planned from the outset. Series production and broader commercialization are targeted for 2028.
The purchase price consists of approximately $612 million in cash and up to about 26.2 million shares of Mobileye Class A common stock, subject to adjustments. The transaction has been approved by Mobileye’s board, Intel as its controlling shareholder and a special committee of independent directors. Mentee will operate as an independent unit within Mobileye after closing.
Mobileye framed the acquisition as a convergence of two closely related technical domains. Both autonomous driving and humanoid robotics require reliable perception, decision-making under uncertainty, edge-compute efficiency and verifiable safety in environments built for humans. Mobileye said its formal safety models, including its Responsibility-Sensitive Safety framework and system-level redundancy, could provide a foundation for humanoid robots operating near people and fragile surroundings.
The company also pointed to potential development synergies. Mentee’s advances in vision-language-action models and simulation-based training could improve Mobileye’s handling of rare driving scenarios, while Mobileye’s manufacturing relationships and validation infrastructure could speed humanoid deployment in factories and warehouses.
The acquisition modestly increases Mobileye’s expected operating expenses in 2026, according to the company. Mobileye said the transaction positions it to pursue physical AI across both vehicles and robotics, extending its addressable market beyond automotive systems while relying on a shared technical stack.
Image credit: Mobileye
