2024-04-06 08:50:56
Vacuum and mopping robots are popular. There is correspondingly great interest from companies in electronic devices. Now Apple also wants to get involved.
Apple is apparently considering entering the home robotics business. Among other things, Apple engineers have been working on a robot that can follow people around the house, the Bloomberg news agency reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
A tabletop device with a movable display has also been developed, it said, citing informed people. However, it remains to be seen whether such products will ultimately make it to consumers.
A few weeks ago, Apple gave up its car project after around a decade of development and billions in spending. Robot development at Apple began within the car project and could benefit from the work already done, wrote Bloomberg.
Apples Recycling-Roboter
Just like the Apple Car, the American company has also abandoned another project in the development phase. According to insiders, Apple is also said to have been working on a dishwasher robot. However, its implementation failed because the technical challenges were too great.
Unlike in the home, Apple has long been using robots in production. Since 2018, “Daisy” has been dismantling old and broken iPhones in an Apple factory in the USA in order to recycle them. You can see the exact process in a video.
The demand is not yet great
So far, household robots have been a niche business. Amazon introduced its robot Astro in 2021, which can roll through rooms, accept voice commands and show information on a display. However, the device, which costs over 1,500 US dollars, is currently only available in small quantities in the USA. Amazon recently introduced a version that can be used to monitor business premises.
The report on Apple’s alleged plans was followed by a short-term jump in the share price of the robot vacuum pioneer iRobot – possibly due to hopes that Apple could buy the company in order to secure its name – based on the iPhone, iPad and Co. Amazon recently officially abandoned plans to take over iRobot after headwinds from competition watchdogs.