Tech giant Apple is now considering shifting its focus to personal robotics after its car project, Project Titan, was canceled. Sources familiar with the company told Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman about the potential new product. Meanwhile, this personal robotics project could be the next big thing for the company.
Reports suggest that the company’s engineers are building a robot that would be capable of following users at their homes. This could be Apple’s first step in expanding its dominance in personal and home products with the help of artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, the project still remains in its early stages. Apple aims to generate more revenue amid the cancelation of its Project Titan. In addition, Apple Vision Pro has yet to contribute significantly to profits.
It is possible that the robot could perform basic chores within a home, but it seems unlikely, given the challenges faced by the company’s engineers. Furthermore, Apple already has competition in the field, with Amazon’s Astro household robot having capabilities such as home monitoring, communication capabilities, and Alexa integration. The Astro robot, costing $1,600, was introduced to the public in 2021. The robot, which is mainly a smart display on wheels, is still available on an invite-only basis.
Talking about Apple’s tabletop robotic device, Mark Gurman reported that the company aimed to ‘mimic the head movements’ of people during FaceTime video calls.
However, he said that the tech giant faced difficulty in ‘balancing the weight of a robotic motor on a small stand.’ Thus, engineers reconsidered their decision to publicize such a device.
It is uncertain whether the personal robotic project, which is still in the early phase of research, will be made available to the public.
The project is being managed by the company’s hardware engineering division and artificial intelligence and machine learning team.
