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With the Apple Car canceled, Apple is exploring new markets where it might be able to find new revenue streams, and personal robotics is apparently one area the company is investigating. This guide highlights everything we know about Apple's interest in robotics, and we'll update it with new rumors going forward. The Robot Rumors According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is looking for its "next big thing," and robotics are one area of focus. Apple has engineering teams working on various in-home robotic devices and the AI software and functionality that might be able to make a home robot useful. Apple's work on robotics takes place in the hardware engineering division and in its AI and machine learning group under AI chief John Giannandrea. Mobile Robot Apple is considering a mobile robot that would follow users around the home, presumably serving as something like an iPad on wheels. A robot would likely be able to place FaceTime calls, monitor the home and the people in it, carry out simple tasks, and answer queries. Apple is said to be exploring AI algorithms that would be used to help robots navigate cluttered spaces in homes, and while Apple wants to design a robot that would clean and do chores much like Rosey in the Jetsons, it's too complicated for now. Gurman says that such a robot is unlikely this decade due to "extraordinarily difficult engineering challenges." Table-Top Robot Another Apple project is described as an "advanced table-top home device" where robotics are used to move a display around. The device, which is described as a robotic motor on a small stand, would mimic the head movements of a person on a ‌FaceTime‌ video call. It would be able to nod, or precisely lock on to a single person during a group ‌FaceTime‌ call. Gurman says that Apple has had some difficulty with weight and balance, and Apple is also not sure that consumers will pay "top dollar" for such a product. The robotic display is said to be further along than Apple's mobile robot, but it has been "added and removed from the company's product roadmap" several times over the years. Secret House Facility Apple reportedly has a secret facility that is designed to look like the inside of a home, and that's where it is testing future home products. Other Home Devices There are some more realistic products that are in the works, with rumors suggesting that Apple is developing an iPad-like home hub device that would serve as a central way to control smart devices. Apple has also been rumored to be working on a version of the Apple TV that integrates HomePod speakers and a camera, and there have been rumors of a ‌HomePod‌ with a display. Apple's Competition Amazon has a $1,600 "Astro" robot that it sells by invitation. Astro is able to navigate the home and remotely check specific rooms, people, and things when the user is away from home. The robot is able to send an alert if an unrecognized person is detected, or if there are sounds like an alarm. Astro has a built-in display and can be used for watching TV, placing calls, setting reminders, sending messages, and more. Astro uses Alexa, and Amazon suggests that it can be used to "remotely care for aging loved ones." Astro is also able to carry "a variety of accessories" such as a Ziploc container, a blood pressure monitor, and a Furbo Dog Camera that provides treats for a pet. Sony has experimented with robots, and is best known for the Aibo robotic dog. Priced at $2900, Aibo is designed to act like a real dog with dynamic movements, lifelike expressions, curiosity, and an interest in human interaction. Aibo is able to learn tricks, play with toys, and listen to commands. There are a number of other home robots on the market, but the best known may be the wide range of robot vacuums like the Roomba that are able to navigate the home to automatically clean up dust, dirt, pet fur, and other debris. Robot Launch Date Apple's work on personal robotics is in the early stages, and the company has small teams that are exploring different concepts. It is not clear if some kind of robot will ever launch, and there is no word on when if so. This article, "Apple's Work on Robots: What We Know So Far" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss Apple's recently rumored "personal robotics" projects, iOS 17.5, Apple Pencil rumors, and more. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Apple is reportedly looking into personal robotics, such as a "mobile robot" that would "follow users around their homes" and an "advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around." In the long term, Apple apparently wants to create machines that can "handle chores, like cleaning dishes in a sink," but the robotics projects are said to be in the very early stages of research, and it is unclear if any of them will ever be released. We also talk through the Beats Solo 4 headphones and Apple's upcoming iOS 17.5 update, which introduces web distribution in the EU, a color-changing Apple Podcasts widget, hints about next-generation iPad battery monitoring features and an upcoming ‌Apple Pencil‌ model, and third-party item tracker alerts. The MacRumors Show is now on its own YouTube channel, so make sure you're subscribed to keep up with new episodes and clips going forward: Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel! You can also listen to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or your preferred podcasts app. You can also copy our RSS feed directly into your podcast player. If you haven't already listened to the previous episode of The MacRumors Show, catch up for our discussion about all of the rumors surrounding WWDC 2024 and iOS 18. Subscribe to ‌The MacRumors Show‌ for new episodes every week, where we discuss some of the topical news breaking here on MacRumors, often joined by interesting guests such as Brian Tong, Quinn Nelson, Kevin Nether, Jared Nelson, Eli Hodapp, Luke Miani, Mike Bell, Sara Dietschy, iJustine, Jon Rettinger, Andru Edwards, Arnold Kim, Ben Sullins, Marcus Kane, Christopher Lawley, Frank McShan, David Lewis, Tyler Stalman, Jon Prosser, Sam Kohl, John Gruber, Federico Viticci, Thomas Frank, Jonathan Morrison, Ross Young, Ian Zelbo, and Rene Ritchie. ‌The MacRumors Show‌ is on X @MacRumorsShow, so be sure to give us a follow to keep up with the podcast. You can also head over to The MacRumors Show forum thread to engage with us directly. Remember to rate and review the podcast, and let us know what subjects and guests you would like to see in the future.Tag: The MacRumors Show This article, "The MacRumors Show: Apple's Next Big Thing – Robots?" first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums View the full article

Let’s be honest, Apple’s reportedly canceled self-driving car project sounds like it was a bit of a disaster. But don’t think that Apple throwing in the towel means the company has given up on moonshot ideas. No, if a new report is correct, it looks like Apple has quickly moved onto its next big thing – and we guarantee it’s not what you were expecting. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is working on a personal robot that could use artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to follow you around your home, performing useful tasks and being a general helper around the house. Gurman says that Apple “has teams investigating a push into personal robotics.” Proposed products include “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.” That second idea sounds a lot like the rumored HomePod with an iPad display that has been doing the rounds recently. However, Gurman’s report makes clear that that is a separate device. Clearly, though, Apple is thinking seriously about how it can integrate its products even further into your home life – including with an unlikely Amazon Astro rival. Apple’s next big thing? (Image credit: Shutterstock) Although these concepts might have an air of the fantastical about them, Gurman has a solid record when it comes to Apple leaks and rumors. These projects are reportedly in their early stages, though, so they might never see the light of day. Apple's ambitions for its robot project may also have been scaled down. According to Bloomberg's report, the original idea was "a device that could navigate entirely on its own without human intervention — like the car — and serve as a videoconferencing tool". But a robot that can help with your chores is apparently off the table until the 2030s, due to the tricky engineering challenges. With the cancelation of Apple’s self-driving car, it seems the company is desperate to find the “next big thing” that will carry it into the coming decades. Is the Apple Vision Pro not that next big thing? Gurman thinks not, if only because it’s “expected to take years to become a major moneymaker.” So, while we wait for the Vision Pro’s price to come down and for the device to really enter the mainstream, it seems like we could one day get Apple-branded robo-helpers performing household chores for us. Now there’s a sentence we never thought we’d write. You might also like Apple Car: it's the end of the road, but here's what could have happenedApple’s HomePod with a screen now rumored for 2025 release, but has the Echo Show already won that smart home race?Apple's Car project is dead according to a report – and everything I've been telling you for the last nine years View the full article