Leaks have indicated Apple has an internal robotics team working on building new home products.But now, via a recently published video, Apple has actually offered its own glimpse into what our robot future could look like.Apple’s team prototypes robot lamp with ‘elegance’ The idea of robots, for me at least, always conjures sci-fi pictures of anthropomorphic beings walking around, talking, and acting very cold and unfeeling.
But Apple’s recently published research paper and video demonstrate how the future of robotics could be much more fun and whimsical than that.In its ELEGNT paper, Apple researchers explain how they built a non-anthropomorphic robot lamp prototype with an expressive design model rather than a functional one.They write: The robot in question, an adorable lamp that resembles Pixar’s iconic Luxo, is shown performing a variety of tasks with human-like expressions, rather than being strictly functional.
For example, the robot is shown exhibiting human-like gestures and responses as it interacts with the Apple researcher.‘Elegant’ is the word Apple’s team used to describe how they wanted the robot to operate, and I think they pulled it off.The full video is available here and shows six primary examples.
Preview of Apple robot products to come Last April, Mark Gurman wrote for : At the time, many saw the idea of Apple building robots as a bit bizarre.But this new video shows what Apple could have in store.Building personality and whimsy into common, everyday objects like lamps is a fun way to blend humanity with emerging tech.
Apple’s new push into smart home products surely isn’t a coincidence.What do you think of Apple’s robot lamp video? Let us know in the comments.Best HomeKit smart home accessories TP-Link Tapo 2K camera with HomeKit Secure Video Smart air purifier with Matter HomeKit Garage Door Opener HomeKit smart plug 4-pack ecobee smart thermostat You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day.
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