Apple accelerates hiring for its home robotics projects
Apple is posting more job listings for robotics specialists to "bring new experiences to Apple products," with teams working on Apple Home devices imbued with a basic level of personality.
An iPad on a robot arm could be the first product from the effort.
The robotics team is led by VP of Technology Kevin Lynch, which last August reportedly brought in experts hired from Israel's Technion. Lynch has been instrumental on a number of Apple initiatives, from the ill-fated "Apple Car" project to imbuing the Apple Watch with various health-tracking technology.
According to the Bloomberg "Power On " newsletter on Sunday, the team is still seeking to hire more engineers with a robotics specialty, suggesting that development is intensifying on various home robotics initiatives. A new position for an iOS Robotics Engineer was posted as recently as January 23.
One idea allegedly being pursued includes home-based hardware that can move to where the user is, rather than the other way around. The group is said to be currently working on at least two robotics projects: a mobile device that could intelligently follow a user around, and a tabletop "smart lamp" that, at least at this stage, resembles Pixar's mascot Luxo Junior.
Apple is also rumored to be producing a "smart home hub" device for controlling various home systems, ranging from security to environmental control. A range of such devices and accessories might arrive as soon as later this year, according to rumors.
On a basic level, robotics in the home has already met with consumer acceptance. Intelligent environmental and security systems are now a common feature, while robot vacuums have also found an audience.
Apple's intention is to take existing smart-home technology to a further and more personable level.
Expanding on household robots
In a promotional video from the robotics team, the smart lamp demonstrates not just responses to user gestures, but a general expressive demeanor that gives it more personal interactions than a typical robotic device. The video is intended as a proof of concept rather than a look at an actual future product.
In a segment of the video comparing an "expressive" robot lamp versus a "functional" robot lamp, a user gestures to indicate where the lamp should focus, and also uses vocal commands to aim it in different areas. The device responds to user gestures and vocal requests, demonstrating attentiveness.
The video also shows that the robotic lamp can answer questions using a Siri-like voice, and can notice where the user's hands are to focus light on what they are doing or holding. In response to a request, the lamp in the video also projects a tutorial video to assist the user in a project.
The video also makes clear that Apple's robotics team is exploring how a level of "active engagement" with the user enhances the experience of using the product. Earlier reports have suggested that a final product might resemble a HomePod with a robotic arm that has an iPad-like screen on the end.
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Comments
This is the companion to let's extend the lifespan of our existing and tired devices, iPhone, iPad by making them foldable.
99.9% of iPhone, iPad users want a foldable device, as much as they want a book light and electric toothbrush added to their Apple devices.
Apple is turning out more and more like Google. Investing their assets in failed products and features: Vision Pro; Robotics; Foldable, AR Glasses, Robotic Desk Lamp which they then promptly proceed to cancel like the Apple Car. Or the latest, Apple Intelligence with multiple sites offering (and recommending) ways to turn it off as a time waster of little or no value.
This is called spinning your wheels when you have nothing new and revolutionary to offer.
My guess is that the AI Boom will crash by mid-2025 as a failed experiment in 'how to leverage trillion troves of old, rubbish data into a useful generative AI'. Forget predictive, that is not even worth mentioning at this stage it is such an crazy illusion about as realistic as Canada becoming the 51st State.
- iPhone was the revolution. Obviously in your advanced mental fog you have forgotten how long ago that was and how many years Apple has been steadily milking that cow. Let me remind you (and it is quite easy to remember, look at the ads in The Daily Senior for the iPhone: Sixteen). btw that cow is now totally emaciated and about to be turned into leather - it is that old!
- There is nothing wrong with iterating and incrementally improving a revolutionary product. Agreed. But for how long before it clearly becomes the only product that Apple has to offer to generate massive revenue. The rest does not even come close.
- Samsung. If you follow this forum - which in your case means nothing, because once you do, you promptly forget it - I have repeatedly written to say that Samsung's foldable phones are collecting dust at all three retailers that I visit. But Apple in its self-righteous way believes that it can reinvent the form factor and generate massive sales out of it. Apple has done it with the iPad - not the first tablet, HP had one in the late 90s (that's the venerable printer company from Palo Alto
). - I am not tired of Apple products. I am a little fatigued at watching Apple under Cook (a brilliant manager) turn out yet another phone that does basically the same as what the first iPhone did: make calls, take pictures and text. If any other company did that everyone would be groaning and run for the hills.
- My point is where is the revolutionary stuff to turn the industry on its head, like in the days of Jobs? And please, please do not tell me Apple Intelligence. I turned it off on the first day. It is nothing more than trawling through troves of old data and using algorithms to farm out half-intelligible (generative) answers. If that has you stoked then I would suggest that you put down those girlie magazines - you will harm yourself.
Finally Mr Chasm, why don't you reach out for the meds before harshly critiquing someone's else post.