Apple’s initial forays into robotics would revolve around making life more convenient for users in the home setting, according to a new report examining the project.
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says the in-home robot derived from the failed Apple Car project would solve “first world problems” for users who already rely on a suite of Apple devices to accomplish most of their tasks.
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So where could an Apple Robot – billed as a large iPad on wheels with a robotic arm and loads of cameras and sensors – help out and bring added value to users?
In his Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple believes the robot could help when users aren’t at their device but still need to use a screen, or their hands are occupied doing other things.
The well-connected Apple watcher gives a few examples: If you’re in another room to your computer and need it, the robot could make its way to you, or you may want to check something in your home while you’re out of ther house. Maybe, for example, you could send the robot to make sure you turned off the hair straighteners in the bathroom?
This is just a jumping off point though. The robotic arm could make video conferencing and browsing recipes in the kitchen more convenient. “If you’re in the kitchen, it can swivel the screen around to face you.”
Apple is also envisioning a future where a robot could be somewhat of a household maid. Gurman writes: “Someday, an Apple robot could go further. Apple has envisioned machines that can do household chores — like loading up a laundry machine or scrubbing down dirty plates — but that’s still so far in the future that the ideas don’t go beyond sketches on a whiteboard.”
Gurman says the first iteration of the robot could arrive as early as 2026 and Apple has even envisioned a future where there’s a humanoid robot complete with Apple Intelligence AI.
