Physical Intelligence x Walt Disney Imagineering (backstage task robotics)

American robotics-AI company (San Francisco, founded early 2024 by ex-[Google DeepMind](/companies/google-deepmind) researchers, Stanford/Berkeley professors, and [Lachy Groom](/people/lachy-groom)) building general-purpose Vision-Language-Action foundation models (the pi / π series, e.g. π0) that act as control policies across many robot embodiments. Has raised ~$1.07B total; last closed round was $600M at a $5.6B valuation, and as of early 2026 was in talks for ~$1B more at a valuation above $11B. Builds robot intelligence, not hardware.

Walt Disney Imagineering is Disney's R&D division based in Glendale, California, developing animatronics, Audio-Animatronics robotics, AI, and immersive technologies for theme park attractions. The division employs robotic control systems engineers for advanced animatronic characters.