NEWS n A US DEVELOPER OF HUMANOID ROBOTS, Apptronik, has raised $350m of Series A funding from a group of investors that include Google. The company says that the funding marks “a pivotal moment” and will help it to deploy its Apollo industrial robot, scale its operations, accelerate innovation, and expand its 150-strong team to meet the demand for next-generation, AI-powered humanoid robots. Earlier funding rounds had raised $28m. “We’re creating the world’s most advanced and capable humanoid robots, designed to work alongside humans in meaningful and transformative ways,” says Apptronik’s co-founder and CEO, Je Cardenas. “By uniting cutting-edge AI with hardware engineered for meaningful interaction, we're shaping a future where robots become true partners in driving progress. It’s inspiring to have investors who believe in this vision and are committed to helping us bring it to life.” Texas-based Apptronik says the investment will allow it to: n Accelerate the development of its next-generation humanoid robots, including advancing the Apollo modular industrial robot, and exploring new form factors. New innovations will expand Apollo’s capabilities, enabling it to address a wide range of applications in industries such as manufacturing and logistics, as well as care for the elderly. n Push the boundaries of humanoid robot design and development using Apptronik’s full-stack approach to designing a humanoid robots. Its portfolio includes “unique” actuation/motor technologies said to be aordable, easy to maintain, and ready for mass production. n Meet “skyrocketing” customer demand Apptronik is scaling production of the Apollo humanoids to full orders across priority markets that include automotive, electronics manufacturing, thirdparty logistics, beverage bottling and fullment, and consumer packaged goods. The 172cm-tall Apollo robots can carry 25kg loads and are powered by hot-swappable battery packs with four-hour runtimes. The modular humanoids can walk on their own legs, or be mounted onto mobile or stationary platforms. A “unique” force control architecture ensures safe movements near humans. Inner and outer safety zones can be set up around the robot. With expanded deployment of the Apollo planned for 2025, Apptronik predicts that it will transform workplaces worldwide. Apptronik was founded in 2016 in the University of Texas at Austin’s Human Centered Robotics Lab. To date, it has developed 15 robotic systems, including the Valkyrie robot for Nasa. Last year, Apptronik collaborated with Nvidia to demonstrate dexterous manipulation, and it has also established a strategic partnership with Google’s DeepMind robotics team to combine AI with humanoids. It has also secured agreements with MercedesBenz and GXO Logistics to demonstrate real-world applications. US robot developer raises $350m from backers including Google
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=