Apple recently scrapped its long-running car development project, but the company's search for its next big business after the iPhone continues. If its ambitions based on new reports come to fruition, robots bearing the Apple logo might someday take over household chores from humans in the distant future.
Bloomberg reports, citing anonymous sources, that Apple has begun early-stage research into home robots. According to the publication, Apple's robot is being developed based on the idea of a pet-like robot that follows people around the house. Separately, the company is also said to be developing a new tabletop device featuring a robotic, movable display. This display would be able to mimic human movements during FaceTime sessions.
According to the report, this early-stage research is currently being handled by Apple's hardware team and AI team. However, since this is still in the very early stages of development, there's a good chance this research could ultimately be shelved.
This project appears to have emerged after Apple quietly shut down its efforts to build its own electric vehicle in early 2024. Although Apple never officially confirmed the existence of the now-cancelled car project, it had been in development for years, fueling numerous rumors and speculation. According to rumors, the car team had originally been pursuing fully autonomous vehicle technology before later pivoting to more conventional driver-based driving assistance features, including a shift toward a simpler electric vehicle, but the project was ultimately cancelled after encountering numerous problems along the way.
While the car development project has been cancelled, Apple's ambitious robot project may be able to leverage the experience gained from its previous work on autonomous driving systems.
Both self-driving cars and robots rely heavily on artificial intelligence, an area Apple has been pushing forward. And the AI that Apple has reportedly been developing will finally be revealed in full at the upcoming WWDC.
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