Apple Reportedly Exploring Personal Home Robots After EV Venture Failure

Apple is reportedly working on personal home robotics development after abandoning the electric vehicle project of 10 years.

Bloomberg Apple engineers are exploring producing home robots and tabletop devices, citing people familiar with the plans.

Apple to Enter New Project Amid EV Shutdown

After 10 years of research, development, and investment, Apple has finally ended its ambition to create an electric vehicle. The Special Projects Group, the team that worked on electric cars, was officially shut down in February.

In an effort to expand its "next big thing" project, Apple is now working on producing a mobile robot that would follow users around their homes. Another device on the work is a tabletop home device that could be used to move a display around.

The company is also investigating the utilization of AI algorithms and how they could train robots to navigate cluttered spaces at home. Apple plans to develop a robot that could handle basic chores which could be extremely difficult due to its engineering principles.

Apple Robotics Start Early Stage of Research

As of writing, Apple is reportedly at the very early stages of research. The project is still too young to have any estimate if they will ever be released to the public or if they will face the same fate as the Apple Car.

Bloomberg reported that the tabletop device already faced technical challenges as Apple struggled to balance the weight of a robotic monitor on a small stand. In addition, some Apple executives are still debating about the future of such devices.

Other tech companies have already gone ahead with home robots. For instance, Amazon introduced its Astro home robot in 2021. The $1,600 robot on wheels can answer Alexa commands.

Samsung also recently updated its home robot Ballie with AI tools to match the current hype about the latest technology.