OpenMind Integrates NEAR AI Cloud to Address Privacy Risks in Home Robotics

OpenMind AGI has integrated NEAR AI Cloud into its robotics software stack to address one of the most persistent barriers to home robotics adoption: user privacy. Announced on December 17, 2025, the integration enables what both companies describe as “verifiably private intelligence,” allowing home robots to use cloud-based AI models for inference without exposing sensitive household data. The approach treats privacy not as a policy commitment but as a technically enforceable, auditable property of robotic systems operating in private homes.

OpenMind shared the announcement publicly on X, where it gained rapid engagement. The response reflects growing attention to privacy concerns as robots begin moving from controlled lab environments into everyday domestic settings.

Why Privacy Has Become a Core Issue in Home Robotics

Home robots function as mobile sensor networks. They rely on cameras, microphones, and spatial mapping systems to navigate environments, recognize objects, and interact with people. In practice, this means collecting data about home layouts, daily routines, and personal interactions, including those involving children and other vulnerable occupants.

Robotics developers have historically faced a technical trade-off. On-device processing limits the size and complexity of AI models due to hardware, power, and thermal constraints. Cloud-based inference enables more advanced perception and reasoning but introduces risks of data exposure, misuse, or unauthorized access by cloud operators. In most consumer deployments, these risks have been managed through contractual assurances rather than enforceable technical controls.

OpenMind has stated that this compromise was incompatible with its goal of deploying autonomous robots in private living spaces. The integration with NEAR AI Cloud is intended to remove the requirement for users to choose between functional capability and data privacy during cloud-based inference.

Background: OpenMind AGI and Its Robotics Stack

OpenMind AGI is a robotics software company focused on developing open-source infrastructure for intelligent, collaborative machines. The company’s stated mission is to enable robots to understand, adapt, and coordinate with one another, rather than operate as isolated devices.

OM1: Open-Source Robotics Operating System

At the core of OpenMind’s platform is OM1, a modular AI runtime and operating system for robots. OM1 is hardware-agnostic and designed to support a wide range of embodiments, including humanoid robots, quadrupeds, and purely digital agents. It supports multimodal AI agents that combine perception, reasoning, and real-time action.

OM1 entered beta in September 2025 and quickly became one of the most starred robotics repositories on GitHub. The system is designed to run on relatively affordable hardware, such as NVIDIA Jetson devices, while remaining compatible with external AI models and data tools.

FABRIC: Identity and Coordination for Robots

OpenMind’s FABRIC protocol provides robots with verifiable identity, location, and coordination capabilities. The company describes it as a combination of GPS, VPN, and a machine handshake protocol. FABRIC enables secure peer-to-peer communication, data sharing with provenance, and multi-agent coordination.

This infrastructure is designed to support scenarios where robots collaborate, share tasks, and verify one another’s actions without relying on a central authority.

OpenMind App

The OpenMind App, available in beta on iOS and Android, acts as a marketplace and coordination layer for robot services. Users can request robot tasks, provide feedback, and contribute data such as indoor and outdoor signal mapping. The app also supports human-in-the-loop evaluation and, in future releases, teleoperation for safety-critical situations.

How the NEAR AI Cloud Integration Works

The integration between OpenMind and NEAR AI Cloud centers on private inference using hardware-backed security. Rather than processing sensitive data in standard cloud environments, AI workloads are executed inside Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs).

Secure Data Flow

Data captured by the robot is encrypted locally before leaving the device. Once transmitted to the cloud, the encrypted data is processed inside a secure enclave built on hardware technologies such as Intel TDX and NVIDIA Confidential Compute.

Within this environment, data is decrypted temporarily for inference, then immediately re-encrypted before being returned to the robot. At no point can cloud operators, including NEAR AI Cloud administrators, access the raw data.

Cryptographic Verification

A key feature of the system is verifiability. Each inference result is accompanied by a cryptographic proof confirming that the computation was executed on verified, secure hardware. Users and developers can independently validate these proofs, replacing trust-based assurances with technical evidence.

This approach enables OpenMind robots to use large, complex AI models without embedding expensive GPUs or high-power hardware directly into consumer devices.

Practical Benefits for Users and Developers

For users, the primary benefit is auditable privacy. Robots can perform advanced tasks, such as perception-heavy navigation or contextual understanding, without creating opaque data flows. This addresses a central concern for households considering autonomous systems in private spaces.

For developers and manufacturers, secure cloud inference reduces hardware requirements. By offloading intensive computation, robots can be built with lower power consumption and lower bill-of-materials costs, which is critical for scaling consumer robotics beyond niche markets.

NEAR AI Cloud has reported that its infrastructure already supports platforms with a combined user base exceeding 100 million, including integrations with projects such as Brave and Phala Network. The OpenMind integration extends this confidential computing model into robotics.

Autonomous Payments: OpenMind’s Integration With Circle

Privacy is not the only infrastructure challenge OpenMind is addressing. On December 2, 2025, the company announced a partnership with Circle to enable USDC-based payments for autonomous robots.

Using Circle’s USDC stablecoin and the x402 protocol developed by Coinbase, OpenMind robots can conduct machine-to-machine and machine-to-human transactions with stable value settlement.

How Autonomous Payments Work

Robots operating on OM1 and FABRIC can initiate payments autonomously using verifiable identities. Micropayments, such as small fees for charging or resource usage, can be settled in real time on-chain. Demonstrations have shown robots paying for services or earning revenue from completed tasks without human intervention.

USDC is used to avoid volatility, making transactions predictable and suitable for operational expenses. The x402 protocol supports high-throughput micropayments, enabling scenarios with thousands of transactions per second.

Implications for Robotics

Autonomous payments reduce reliance on traditional financial intermediaries and manual billing processes. For robotics fleets, this can lower transaction costs and enable global operations. Cryptographic verification also reduces fraud and simplifies compliance in machine-driven economic activity.

What OpenMind’s Integrations Mean for Robotics and AI Infrastructure

Taken together, OpenMind’s integrations with NEAR AI Cloud and Circle suggest a broader architectural shift. Robots are being designed not just as devices, but as networked agents with identity, privacy guarantees, and economic capabilities.

This approach aligns with emerging use cases beyond the home, including healthcare, logistics, and other environments where sensitive data and autonomous decision-making intersect. By combining confidential computing, cryptographic verification, and stable digital payments, OpenMind is contributing to a model where trust is enforced technically rather than assumed.

Regulatory and security challenges remain, particularly as autonomous systems assume greater responsibility. However, reducing hardware costs, improving privacy assurances, and enabling direct economic interaction may lower barriers to real-world deployment.

Conclusion

OpenMind’s integration of NEAR AI Cloud introduces a concrete technical solution to long-standing privacy concerns in home robotics. By combining hardware-backed confidential computing with cryptographic verification, the company enables robots to use advanced cloud-based AI without exposing sensitive household data.

Alongside its work on autonomous payments through Circle and USDC, OpenMind is building infrastructure that treats robots as verifiable, privacy-preserving, and economically autonomous agents. These integrations address practical deployment constraints and reinforce a shift toward trust that is enforceable in consumer robotics.

Sources:

• Near AI Blog - Integration with OpenMind
• OpenMind X Post - Near AI Announcement