We learned this week that Apple is pointing some attention at personal robotics following the shutdown of its Apple Car efforts. It’s early for the skunkworks robotics project but what’s your gut reaction, could the investment pay off? Or is it more likely to end like the Apple Car dreams?
Top comment by djos
R&D is vital for every company (and person). Apple learned a lot of useful stuff from the car - even though it didn't develop a car. It will use those developments in other ways. Same with a robot. Bits and pieces developed for unused applications will transfer to unforeseen future applications. If gambles in development aren't pursued, a company eventually winds down and fails. As long as they are learning from their explorations, that time & money isn't a waste or a failure - it's just a new direction, or improvement on an older system.
Apple is reportedly exploring two personal robotics products, “a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes” and “an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around” (via Mark Gurman).
The latter has made it further in development but both would need Apple executives’ approval before becoming a bonafide effort.
My colleague Ben wrote this morning that “a truly useful and capable domestic robot is an even bigger challenge than an autonomous car.” Why?
- First, the personal robot dream has progressed less than autonomous vehicles in the ~100 years since humans started dreaming about these technologies.
- Second, a truly useful home robot would need to go considerably beyond what current products can do like robot vacuums, smart home devices, etc., and be priced in a way that would be worth it (over some timeframe) versus hiring a home cleaning service.
However, just because we haven’t seen notable growth in personal robotics over the past decades and there being notable challenges to making a mass-market product doesn’t mean there’s zero chance Apple could figure it out. Maybe Apple pairing its hardware expertise with next-gen AI could thread the needle?
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