Apptronik receives 350 million US dollars for the production of humanoid robots
Fresh money will enable the robotics company Apptronik to further develop its humanoid Apollo robot and bring it to market quickly.
The humanoid Apollo robot should be able to work in many areas.
(Image: Apptronik)
The US robotics company Apptronik, developer of the AI-supported humanoid robot Apollo, has received 350 million US dollars from investors in a Series A financing round. Apptronik announced this on Friday. The company intends to use the money for the further development of Apollo and research into other humanoid robots. At the same time, the start-up production of the Apollo robot is to be strengthened in order to meet the increasing demand from industry.
The money comes from the venture capital company B Capital and the investment company Capital Factory with the participation of Google. The investors hope that Apptronik will quickly develop its Apollo robot into an intelligent machine that is increasingly able to communicate and collaborate with humans in work environments using artificial intelligence (AI).
The development of Apollo and other humanoid robots is to be accelerated by the high level of investment. Robots with other form factors are also planned, according to Apptronik. The aim is to use them to cover a wide range of applications: from logistics and manufacturing to elderly care, healthcare and household.
Apptronik is focusing on people in the further development of its humanoid robot. Accordingly, the company is pursuing a holistic approach. The robot should not only be highly functional, but also user-friendly. People should be able to communicate and interact with it just as they would with a human being.
Preparing for mass production
Initially, Apptronik intends to prepare the Apollo robot for mass production and expand production. Demand for the robot from industry is high. Customers from the automotive industry, electronics industry, logistics, beverage filling and handling as well as the consumer goods industry are particularly interested.
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The robotics company Apptronik was founded in 2016 in the Human Centered Robotics Lab at the University of Texas in Austin. Since then, the company has developed a total of 15 robotic systems, such as the humanoid NASA robot Valkyrie. This was followed by the development of Apollo for industrial use. Apptronik has entered into various collaborations, such as with Nvidia and Google DeepMind, to make the robot more intelligent and strengthen its manipulation capabilities.
Mercedes-Benz and the logistics company GXO Logistics are already using the Apollo robot productively in their companies.
(olb)
