According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is investigating several “personal robots” projects to develop its “next big thing.”
A “mobile robot” that would “follow consumers around their houses” is the description of one of these ideas, and an “advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around” is the description of another:
According to the source, Apple is looking into using AI techniques to help robots “navigate crowded places within people’s homes.” Gurman stated that this decade, it is unlikely that Apple’s goal of creating robots that can “manage chores, like scrubbing dishes in a sink,” will be seen because of “extraordinarily complex engineering hurdles.”
Apple’s house robot might face competition from products like Amazon’s Astro, a mobile virtual assistant that monitors home security.
Gurman did note that certain Apple executives have reportedly discussed whether to design a device that would balance the weight of a robotic motor on a small stand and that the company has encountered technological difficulties.
It is yet to be determined if any of the robot’s projects will ever be made available to the general public, as they are reportedly in the very early phases of the study. These are only lofty concepts for now, but they are intriguing to learn more about.