{"id":4048,"date":"2024-04-06T03:00:09","date_gmt":"2024-04-06T03:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.macrumors.com\/guide\/apple-robot&post_date=1712370857\/"},"modified":"2024-04-06T03:00:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T03:00:09","slug":"apples-work-on-robots-what-we-know-so-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.amobil.online\/apples-work-on-robots-what-we-know-so-far\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple’s Work on Robots: What We Know So Far"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the Apple Car canceled<\/a>, Apple is exploring new markets where it might be able to find new revenue streams, and personal robotics is apparently one area the company is investigating.<\/p>\n

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This guide highlights everything we know about Apple’s interest in robotics, and we’ll update it with new rumors going forward.<\/p>\n

The Robot Rumors<\/h2>\n

According to Bloomberg<\/em>‘s Mark Gurman<\/a>, Apple is looking for its “next big thing,” and robotics are one area of focus. Apple has engineering teams working on various in-home robotic devices and the AI software and functionality that might be able to make a home robot useful.<\/p>\n

Apple’s work on robotics takes place in the hardware engineering division and in its AI and machine learning group under AI chief John Giannandrea.<\/p>\n

Apple is considering a mobile robot that would follow users around the home, presumably serving as something like an iPad<\/a> on wheels. A robot would likely be able to place FaceTime<\/a> calls, monitor the home and the people in it, carry out simple tasks, and answer queries.<\/p>\n

Apple is said to be exploring AI algorithms that would be used to help robots navigate cluttered spaces in homes, and while Apple wants to design a robot that would clean and do chores much like Rosey in the Jetsons, it’s too complicated for now. Gurman says that such a robot is unlikely this decade due to “extraordinarily difficult engineering challenges.”<\/p>\n

Table-Top Robot<\/h3>\n

Another Apple project is described as an “advanced table-top home device” where robotics are used to move a display around. The device, which is described as a robotic motor on a small stand, would mimic the head movements of a person on a \u200cFaceTime\u200c video call. It would be able to nod, or precisely lock on to a single person during a group \u200cFaceTime\u200c call. Gurman says that Apple has had some difficulty with weight and balance, and Apple is also not sure that consumers will pay “top dollar” for such a product.<\/p>\n

The robotic display is said to be further along than Apple’s mobile robot, but it has been “added and removed from the company’s product roadmap” several times over the years.<\/p>\n

Secret House Facility<\/h2>\n

Apple reportedly has a secret facility that is designed to look like the inside of a home, and that’s where it is testing future home products.<\/p>\n

Other Home Devices<\/h2>\n

There are some more realistic products that are in the works, with rumors suggesting that Apple is developing an iPad-like home hub device that would serve as a central way to control smart devices. Apple has also been rumored to be working on a version of the Apple TV<\/a> that integrates HomePod<\/a> speakers and a camera, and there have been rumors of a \u200cHomePod\u200c with a display.<\/p>\n

Apple’s Competition<\/h2>\n

Amazon has a $1,600 “Astro” robot<\/a> that it sells by invitation. Astro is able to navigate the home and remotely check specific rooms, people, and things when the user is away from home.<\/p>\n

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Astro is also able to carry “a variety of accessories” such as a Ziploc container, a blood pressure monitor, and a Furbo Dog Camera that provides treats for a pet.<\/p>\n

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