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AUSTIN (KXAN) — The future has arrived in the form of a robot resembling a human, ready to take on any task and transform the way we work.
Apptronik has unveiled Apollo, the world’s first commercial humanoid robot.
For the last seven years, the Austin-based startup company has been out of the limelight and in the lab, working day after day to design this robot.
Now, Apptronik is ready to take off with their creation, which could alter the way we live.
“We’re excited to show the world what we’re capable of building and the amazing work that’s happening right here in Austin,” Apptronik co-founder and CEO Jeff Cardenas said.
Back in 2016, Apptronik was founded by Cardenas and three other men within the human-centered robotics lab at the University of Texas at Austin.
Since its inception, the robotics company has grown and expanded to 85 employees, who’ve helped design over 10 unique robots.
This has all culminated in Apollo, a humanoid robot built to work in environments with humans.
“The goal with a robot like Apollo was to build one robot that can do thousands of different things,” Cardenas explained. “You can think of it like the iPhone of robots.”
Apollo is a general-purpose robot designed to take on any task.
Digital panels on the robot’s face and chest foster easy communication while setting a new standard for human-robot communication with face-to-face interaction.
“As it gets more sophisticated and as we improve, it’s a software update away from a new task or function,” Cardenas said.
Standing tall at 5 foot 8 inches while weighing 160 pounds, the Apollo can lift objects up to 55 pounds.
Cardenas added that these robots could make a major impact on the supply chain.
“Apollo is going to start today working in warehouses,” he said. “Helping to fill the labor shortages that we have all across our supply chain.”
Today, there are two functioning Apollos working within Apptronik’s lab.
Looking ahead, Cardenas says the plan is to expand and build hundreds of these robots.
“Long term, we hope to make robots like Apollo available to the masses,” he concluded. “The target is for our robots to be less expensive than the price of a car.”
Apptronik is already working on the next version of Apollo, which will launch early next year.
That robot will be designed leave the lab and work in the real world.
To learn more about Apptronik, visit its website.
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