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Apple has ramped up job openings for robotics experts as the company plans a foray into the development of smart home appliances that possess some degree of personality.
Apple has advertised a several openings for robotics specialists. The company stated in the job listings, “As a member of the team, you will have the opportunity to work with a small group of highly skilled engineers and scientists to bring new experiences to Apple products.” Apple changed its focus from creating driverless electric cars to creating residential robots in February 2025. Its robotics team is led by Kevin Lynch, vice president of Apple’s institutional operations.
Last August, Apple brought on board specialists from Israel’s Institute of Technology, Technion. The institute is known as Israel’s MIT. The division is working on at least two robot projects, as it is presently in the early research stage of robot development.
The Follower and The Desktop Robots
Credit: hothardware
One of Apple’s robots under development is a follower that can move around and follow its owner. The other is a desk-mounted robot. Apple is also reportedly working on a “smart home hub” that manages home automation and security systems.
Apple plans to launch its desktop robot by 2027. The company publicly unveiled a prototype of its desktop robot recently. The robot displays a range of human-like facial emotions. It has been reported in the media that Apple’s desktop robot, expected to be released in 2027, is quite like a HomePod smart speaker with a screen fixed on the robot’s limbs. However, it is unclear what features Apple would incorporate into this robot to make it appealing to customers.
Promotional Video Shows a Robot With a Personality
A smart lamp that allows for more intimate contact than a standard robotic item was unveiled by the robotics team in a promotional video. It showed not only reactions to user movements but also human-like expressions. The lamp is aimed in various directions by the user using vocal commands and gestures to indicate where it should focus. The device reacts to verbal commands and user movements, indicating that it is paying attention.
The film also demonstrates the robotic lamp’s ability to respond to questions and focus light based on the user’s hand position. The film also shows a tutorial video in which the robotic lamp helped the user with a project using displays on its screen. The video only demonstrates concepts that Apple intends to integrate into its future products in home robotics, it is not a product that is to be released.