Personal robotics could be Apple’s “next big thing” as Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman reports Apple’s new skunk-works project is a “mobile robot” that would “follow users around their homes.”
Gurman says another project involves an “advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around”:
Engineers at Apple have been exploring a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the skunk-works project is private. The iPhone maker also has developed an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around, they said.
Apple is investigating the use of AI algorithms that would help robots “navigate cluttered spaces within people’s homes,” Gurman’s report says. Apple is said to be looking to create robots that can “handle chores, like cleaning dishes in a sink.” However, Gurman said that such an accomplishment is unlikely this decade due to “extraordinarily difficult engineering challenges.”
If Apple does develop and release such a robotic device it could compete with such already available robotic devices as Amazon’s $1,600 Astro, which provides home security monitoring, as well as acting as a roving virtual assistant.
As for the “advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around,” Gurman said Apple had an idea to make the display “mimic the head movements” of a person on a FaceTime video call. However, the report says Apple executives have hotly debated whether to develop such a device and the company has faced technical challenges related to “balancing the weight of a robotic motor on a small stand.”
The robotics projects are both in very early stages of research and development and may never be released to the public. However, the projects do present fascinating possibilities.