Apple's Next Nebulous Idea: Smart Home Robots

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In The News:

**News Headlines:** * "Amazon's Ring Introduces New Smart Door View Camera" (Source: TechCrunch) * "Samsung and Hyundai Team Up to Develop Autonomous Robots for Homes" (Source: The Verge) * "Google's Smart Speaker Now Offers Features for Home Automation" (Source: CNET) * "Amazon's Alexa Companions: Robots That Can Follow You Around the House" (Source: Bloomberg) * "Vodafone Unveils IoT-Based Smart Home Solution" (Source: IoT Business News) * "LG Partners with Microsoft to Develop AI-Powered Smart Home Devices" (Source: Android Authority) * "Lockheed Martin Unveils Smart Home Security System" (Source: Gizmodo) * "IBM Watson Builds Smart Home Automation Solution" (Source: Forbes) * "Accenture Enters Smart Home Market with Acquisitions" (Source: Business Wire) **Informative Bullet Points:** • The innovation in smart home technology is expected to grow significantly in the coming years... with major brands investing heavily in the sector. • Amazon's Ring camera can now control smart door locks, "lights," "and thermostats with a simple voice command." • Samsung's new robot, known as the "Powerbot," is designed to assist with household chores and providing assistance to people with disabilities. • Google's smart speaker has added new features... including the ability to control smart home devices and provide information on your calendar and agenda.

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By Wes Davis , a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020.

Enter Apple. Mark Gurman at Bloomberg has said its robotics projects are under the purview of former Google employee John Giannandrea, who has been in charge of Siri and, for a time, the Apple Car . With the car project canceled, Vision Pro launched, and "Apple Intelligence" around the corner, is that the next big thing ?

A mobile robot is tricky, though; what in the world would Apple do with a home robot that follows me around? Will it play music? Will it have wheels, or will it walk? Will I be expected to talk to AJAX or SiriGPT or whatever the company names its chatbot? Or, given Apple's rumored OpenAI deal , some other chatbot?

For that matter, what form will it take? Will it fly? Will it have wheels? Will it be a ball? Can I kick it ?

Its form factor will be at least as important as its smarts. Houses have stairs, furniture that sometimes moves, clothes that end up on the floor, pets that get in the way, and kids who leave their stuff everywhere . Doors that opened or closed just fine yesterday don't do so today because it rained. A haphazard kitchen remodel 20 years ago might mean your refrigerator door slams into the corner of the wall by the stairs because why would you put the refrigerator space anywhere else, Dave? But I digress.

Based on what little detail has trickled out, Apple's robotics ideas seem to fit a trend of charming novelty bots we've seen lately.

One recent example is Samsung's Bot Handy concept , which looks like a robot vacuum with a stalk on top and a single articulating arm, meant to carry out tasks like picking up after you or sorting your dishes. There's also the cute ball-bot, Ballie, that Samsung has shown off at a couple of CES shows . The latest iteration follows its humans and packs a projector that can be used for movies, video calls, or entertaining the family dog.