Will Apollo be the “iphoen the robot?”

Will Apollo be the “iphone the robot?”

an Francisco, 8/23/2023

When someone “Apollo!” means, one immediately thinks of NASA. But the entity revealed by startup Apptrponik is a human-looking robot wearing this menu.

Before this guy is flown to the moon, Mars, and other satellites, he should first master the skills needed to do the so-called „dirty work.“ So the normal tour from apprentice to master. You could also call it an all-purpose robot, CEO Jeff Cardenas told CNN, specifying: „Our goal is to build versatile robots that do all the things we don’t want to do to help us here on earth, and eventually explore the moon, Mars.“

About the hardware:

The robot is human-sized, 1.7 meters tall and weighs 72.6 kilograms.

He can lift 55 pounds (25 kilograms) and is comfortable working with people.

The robot uses electricity instead of hydraulics, which is not considered safe.

Its replaceable four-hour battery allows it to work for 22 hours.

There are digital panels on Apollo’s chest that provide the other person with the following information: the remaining battery life, the current task he is working on, when he is finished and what he will do next.

By turning his head, he indicates where he is going.

The scientific background of the team

Before founding Apptronik in 2016, team members worked in the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin.

„The focus of the lab was on how humans and robots will interact in the future,“ Cardenas said. “As humans, our most valuable resource is time, and our time here is limited. And as a toolmaker, we can now build tools ourselves that give us more time.”

During their time in the lab, the team was selected to work on Valkyrie, a NASA robot, between 2012 and 2013 as part of the DARPA Robotics Challenge.

The Apptronik team spent years building unique robots and components that eventually resulted in a type that was adept at all the waters of everyday human life. Instead of highly specialized robots that can only serve one purpose, Apptronik wanted to make Apollo the „iPhone of robots,“ Cardenas said.

And the cost? Conventional robots require high-precision parts. That’s why they’re expensive. By using cameras and AI, robots could be developed whose price would be less than that of a car, according to the CEO.

This year, Apptronik is focusing on attracting commercial customers and manufacturers interested in using Apollo to improve their logistics. The company will start full commercial production at the end of 2024.