NVIDIA launches an open safety platform for AI agents; Figure, Skild AI and Gecko are building on it
The Open Agent Safety Platform pairs open-source OpenShell software with a Sentry reference design. NVIDIA names three robotics companies using it to put safety limits on physical systems.
NVIDIA launched what it calls the Open Agent Safety Platform on September 28. It combines OpenShell, open-source software for governing what AI agents are allowed to do, with a reference system design called NVIDIA Sentry, and NVIDIA says it covers software, hardware, compute and robotics systems.
Three robotics companies are named as building with OpenShell to put safety controls into physical autonomous systems: humanoid maker Figure, robot foundation-model developer Skild AI and industrial inspection company Gecko Robotics. Gecko said separately that it uses OpenShell to set secure runtime limits on its robots, including the Komodo robot used by the U.S. Navy.
As foundation models start to drive machines rather than only produce text, the question of who can stop or constrain a robot, and how that is audited, moves from research to procurement. An open, vendor-backed layer for that could become a default expectation in industrial and defense deals. No financial terms were disclosed, and neither Figure nor Skild AI described how deeply they have integrated the software.
- Gecko applies runtime limits to robots including Komodo, used by the U.S. Navy
- Open Agent Safety Platform (OpenShell + NVIDIA Sentry)
- September 28, 2026
- Figure, Skild AI, Gecko Robotics
Why it matters
Safety and governance for AI-driven machines is turning into a product category. Whoever sets the reference design will shape what industrial and defense buyers ask for.
Rival analysis
NVIDIA already supplies simulation, models and on-board compute; a safety layer extends that stack. Competing chip vendors, including AMD after its World Labs deal, have no announced equivalent.
Valuation context
No financial terms disclosed.
Supply-chain implications
Integrators selling robots into regulated settings may need to show runtime controls; an open reference makes that easier to specify in tenders.
Signals to watch
Standards bodies or defense programs referencing OpenShell; more humanoid makers adopting it; independent audits of its guarantees.
Analyst view
Low immediate revenue impact, meaningful for standard-setting.
Questions you should be asking
How deep is Figure's and Skild AI's integration? Will buyers treat an NVIDIA-led open project as neutral?