Asimov is building data infrastructure and crowdsourced movement pipelines to train humanoid robots. Founded in 2026 out of Y Combinator's W26 batch with $500,000 in funding, the San Francisco-based company captures egocentric video from smartphone users performing everyday tasks—such as cooking, cleaning, working at a desk, and running errands—to teach robots physical interaction and object manipulation. Its software stack spans mobile, backend, and computer vision, automatically stripping audio and blurring faces to protect privacy.
The startup was co-founded by defense tech robotics researcher Lyem Ningthou and former Scale AI and Amazon software engineer Anshul Verma, who previously conducted machine learning research at UC Berkeley. Together, they are constructing a crowdsourced data layer and marketplace for embodied AI training.
Open-Sourcing the Asimov 1 SDK and Control Architecture
In a recent demonstration video, "Open-Sourcing Asimov 1: SDK to build humanoid apps", the company released the software development kit and edge runtime for its Asimov 1 hardware platform. The SDK sits on top of native UDP and LifeKit network interfaces, enabling developers to send velocity commands, move individual joints, and access onboard camera, microphone, and speaker streams.
The architecture relies on ASIMO Edge, an open-source arbiter that sits between high-level controllers and lower-level firmware. Edge manages concurrent control streams—ranging from autonomous policies deployed via the SDK to real-time teleoperation using a Pico VR headset—and forwards prioritized commands to firmware only after trajectory validation. If an autonomous agent loses control or finishes a task, Edge holds the robot in a safe state rather than letting it collapse.
Complementing the SDK, Asimov released technical guides covering hardware operations. The video "Getting your Asimov 1 ready to move" outlines the zeroing and calibration workflow for all 25 onboard actuators via the ASIMO Manager application, while "How to stand Asimov 1 up" demonstrates physical handling procedures for transitioning the humanoid between damped, standing, and active balance modes.
Research and Development Openings
As Asimov advances its platforms, the company is recruiting scientists and process engineers across cell line, viral vector, and analytical development teams in Boston, MA.
On the vector and process development side, the company is hiring a Principal Scientist, Lentiviral Vector Cell Line Development ($170,000–$190,000) to lead the platform roadmap and create stable producer cell lines for therapeutics. A Scientist, Viral Vector Process Development ($120,000–$130,000) will engineer lentiviral and adeno-associated viral vectors through media optimization, bioreactor scaling, and analytical assays.
For cell line engineering and downstream purification, an Associate Scientist, Cell Line Development ($90,000–$100,000) will execute synthetic biology studies and CHO-based cell screening workflows. Meanwhile, a Senior Associate Scientist, Biologics Downstream Process Development ($105,000–$115,000) will focus on applying scaling principles to downstream bioprocess engineering and purification workflows.
Analytical screening is supported by roles such as the Senior Scientist, Analytical Development ($145,000–$165,000), who will design characterization methods for antibodies and multispecific protein formats, and a contract Senior Research Associate/Associate Scientist, Analytical Development (Contractor) ($40–$55/hour) to execute biophysical screening panels.
Open Roles at Asimov
| Role | Location | Work Mode | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
Associate Scientist, Cell Line Development |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $90,000 – $100,000 |
Principal Scientist, Lentiviral Vector Cell Line Development |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $170,000 – $190,000 |
Senior Associate Scientist, Biologics Downstream Process Development |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $105,000 – $115,000 |
Senior Research Associate/Associate Scientist, Analytical Development (Contractor) |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $40 – $55 / hour |
Scientist, Viral Vector Process Development |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $120,000 – $130,000 |
Scientist, Lentiviral Vector Cell Line Development |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $120,000 – $130,000 |
Senior Scientist, Analytical Development |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $145,000 – $165,000 |
Principal Scientist, Biologics Cell Line Development |
Boston, MA | Onsite | $170,000 – $190,000 |
