Apple exploring mobile robot that ‘follows users around their homes’

Apple Inc. is venturing into the realm of “personal robotics” to develop breakthrough innovations, according to a new report.

The tech giant, known for revolutionizing personal electronics, is working on a suite of robotic projects promising to engrain deeper into users’ daily lives, sources told Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. 

“Engineers at Apple have been exploring a mobile robot that can follow users around their homes, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the skunk-works project is private. The iPhone maker also has developed an advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around, they said,” according Mr. Gurman.

The cutting-edge “mobile robot” is designed to trail users in their home environments, ensuring assistance and smart interactions are always close at hand. Apple reportedly wants to create robots that can “handle chores, like cleaning dishes in a sink,” Mr. Gurman wrote, adding it may take considerable time due to the “extraordinarily difficult engineering challenges.”

Another concept under consideration involves a sophisticated “table-top home device,” which incorporates robotics to autonomously reposition a user interface screen. Mr. Gurman said “one idea was for its display to ’mimic the head movements’ of a person on a FaceTime video call,” MacRumors said.

“However, he said Apple has faced technical challenges related to ’balancing the weight of a robotic motor on a small stand,’ and some Apple executives have apparently debated whether to develop such a device,” the web site wrote.