Austin’s Apptronik and Bay Area-based Google DeepMind have formed a strategic partnership to enhance the development of AI-powered humanoid robots. The collaboration combines Apptronik’s robotics platform with Google DeepMind’s AI technology to create robots that can operate efficiently in dynamic environments.
Apptronik, a robotics company founded in 2016, has roots in the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. The company has built and tested 15 different types of robots, including the NASA Valkyrie robot. It unveiled Apollo in 2023, a humanoid robot designed to collaborate with humans in industries like manufacturing and logistics.
Apollo, standing 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighing 160 pounds, is designed to perform physically demanding tasks while maintaining safety in industrial settings. The potential applications of this robot could also extend to healthcare and home settings.
By leveraging Apptronik’s human-centered design and hardware capabilities and Google DeepMind’s machine learning, engineering and physics simulation expertise, the partnership aims to fuel the development of intelligent, versatile and safe robots that can transform industries and improve lives.
