Apple’s teams are currently investigating the potential for venturing into home robotics, recognising it as a field that could potentially become a significant focus for the company, akin to its ever-evolving “next big things.”
Within Apple’s hardware engineering division and AI and machine-learning group, led by John Giannandrea, engineers have been exploring various avenues in robotics. One project involves a mobile robot designed to accompany users around their homes, while another centres around an advanced tabletop device employing robotics to manipulate a display, according to Bloomberg.
The concept behind the latter is to emulate the natural head movements, like nodding, of individuals engaged in FaceTime sessions, with additional functionality to precisely track and focus on a single person amidst a group during video calls.
The hardware development for these projects has been overseen by Matt Costello and Brian Lynch, executives specialising in home products. However, Apple has not definitively committed to either endeavour as a company, and the efforts remain in the early stages of research and development.
There are concerns within Apple about consumer willingness to pay premium prices for such devices, as well as technical hurdles related to maintaining balance with the weight of a robotic motor on a small stand.
Despite these challenges, the company remains in the preliminary phases of exploration, with the ultimate release of these products uncertain.
