Apple Robot Rumor Teases Tech After Car Failure: What We Could Expect
Apple's cancellation of the self-driving electric car project received widespread coverage with a mixed sense of disappointment and market reality jubilation. But it seems Apple has even more ambitious ideas in development, with one of them being "personal robotics," envisioning a device that sits on a tabletop. Notably, the project traces its roots to Project Titan, the internal codename for Apple's doomed car project.
"Engineers at Apple have been exploring a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes," reports Bloomberg. If it rings a bell, well, that's because Amazon has already done it with the cutesy Astro robot, which follows users around and apparently poses a privacy threat, as well. Amazon's pint-sized robo companion features a rotating screen and zips around like a small dog, using its onboard camera to swerve around the house.
Notably, Apple is already said to be working on a new class of smart-home devices that essentially puts an iPad atop a HomePod speaker, somewhat like Google's Next Hub Max. That project has yet to materialize, and given the complexities involved with robotics projects, it could take a while before Apple's ambitious personal robotics ideas bear fruit.
Of course, given Apple's love for weaving all its hardware around a gated service ecosystem, it's unlikely that the company will make something like the Amagami Ham Ham nibbling robot toy or Sony's Aibo robot dog. Moreover, the whole robotics project is very much an idea in flux, which means it could be nixed down the road owing to technical challenges or market potential.
Long-shot ambitions
"The idea was to have the display mimic the head movements — such as nodding — of a person on a FaceTime session," says the Bloomberg report. " It would also have features to precisely lock on to a single person among a crowd during a video call." The latter has already been implemented, albeit mostly on a software level, with the Center Stage system that makes camera adjustments to keep the subject in focus during video calls. Lately, Logitech has also implemented auto-framing tech on their webcams, including the recently launched MX Brio under the name RightSight.
Apple's engineers originally approached the robotics project as a device that would move around on its own and serve more like a video conferencing device on wheels. However, Apple's team apparently has far more ambitious plans for the personal robotics project. "One pie-in-the-sky idea within Apple was having it be able to handle chores, like cleaning dishes in a sink," adds the Bloomberg report.
The idea is not exactly extraordinary. All the way back in 2017, Flippy — a robotic system powered by Miso AI — landed a job at a fast food joint where it would flip patties and place them on buns. The company, however, didn't make any promises if the taste would qualify the robo-chef for a Michelin-starred restaurant job. Earlier this month, convenience store chain Re-Up also installed a robot called Wingman, developed by Nala Robotics, tasked with handling french fries and chicken wings at gas stations.