Apptronik’s humanoid robots take the first steps toward building themselves

Apptronik, an Austin-based humanoid robot maker, has announced a new pilot partnership with Jabil, a major player in supply chain and manufacturing. This collaboration comes shortly after Apptronik secured a $350 million Series A funding round to scale up production of its Apollo robot. The partnership with Jabil, which follows a previous pilot with Mercedes-Benz, involves testing Apollo on Jabil's factory floor for tasks like sorting and transporting parts. If successful, Jabil will manufacture Apollo in its factories, potentially leading to a scenario where humanoid robots build themselves. Apptronik aims to begin commercial production by 2026.

Apptronik is among several companies, including Agility, Boston Dynamics, Figure, and Tesla, developing humanoid robots for industrial use. While competition is fierce, Apptronik benefits from substantial funding and a decade of experience, including work on NASA's Valkyrie robot. The company also has a partnership with Google DeepMind to develop AI for its systems. The success of Apollo in real-world applications at Jabil is crucial for its future scalability and integration into production lines.

Key takeaways:

Apptronik announced a pilot partnership with Jabil to test its Apollo humanoid robot on the factory floor, following a $350 million Series A financing round.
Jabil will become a manufacturing partner for Apollo once it is commercially viable, potentially leading to humanoid robots building themselves.
The partnership with Jabil involves Apollo performing simple, repetitive tasks to validate its effectiveness for manufacturing.
Apptronik has a decade of experience in humanoid robotics and partnerships with companies like Google DeepMind, positioning it well in the competitive industry.

Apptronik’s humanoid robots take the first steps toward building themselves | TechCrunch

Key takeaways:

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