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- Apple's robotics reboot
Good morning, robotics enthusiasts. In a major shakeup, Apple is moving its secretive robotics team out of the AI division and into hardware engineering.
The move signals a shift from pure research to developing real-world consumer products, as the tech giant races to catch up in robotics. But can we see an Apple robot roaming in homes anytime soon?
In today’s robotics rundown:
Apple reshuffles robotics division
Flying bots building structures in mid-air
Figure’s CEO threatens to sue Fortune
Robots learn from watching how-to videos
Quick hits on other robotics news
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
APPLE
The Rundown: Amid persistent delays with next-gen AI Siri, Apple is reportedly moving its secret robotics unit from AI chief John Giannandrea's division to the hardware team led by senior VP John Ternus, marking a significant organizational shift.
The details:
This shift follows a recent reorganization where Siri was also moved out of Giannandrea’s oversight to focus his team on foundational AI.
Kevin Lynch, who led Apple Watch and the now-cancelled Apple Car projects, currently leads the robotics unit and has several projects in the works.
Bloomberg reports that his team is developing an iPad-like tabletop device with a robotic arm and stationary robots for smart home use.
By placing robotics under hardware engineering, Apple aims to better align the development of physical devices with the company’s hardware expertise.
Why it matters: The reshuffle is seen not just as a response to Apple’s lagging position in AI compared to Google and Amazon, but also as a push to speed up innovation in robotics. There’s still no word on when consumers might get a first look as experts say a true Apple home robot is likely years away.
CONSTRUCTION ROBOTICS
Image source: Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology
The Rundown: A team of international researchers just unveiled a pioneering autonomy framework for aerial robotic drones capable of building, repairing, and maintaining structures with unprecedented precision while in flight.
The details:
The new autonomy framework enables drones to collaboratively build and repair structures by depositing materials in mid-air with high precision.
The project utilizes two types of autonomous drones: BuilDrones, which deposit materials in-flight, and ScanDrones, which handle quality control.
Inspired by the collective behavior of bees and wasps, the drones operate collaboratively, adapting their construction strategies in real time.
The research envisions a hybrid construction approach, where ground robots handle accessible areas and aerial robots tackle high or hazardous locations.
Why it matters: This research marks a breakthrough for Aerial Additive Manufacturing—a technology that uses flying robots to build structures in hard-to-reach or hazardous locations. These bots open up new possibilities for rapid repairs and scalable construction at heights where traditional methods often fall short.
FIGURE
Image source: Figure AI
The Rundown: Figure AI’s CEO and founder, Brett Adcock, is threatening legal action against Fortune magazine after it published an article alleging that Figure AI overstated the capabilities and deployment of its humanoids at BMW’s Spartanburg factory.
The details:
In an article published earlier this month, Fortune suggested that Figure AI exaggerated the robot’s current role at BMW’s factory in South Carolina.
Sources told Fortune that the robots were not yet integrated into regular production, and that claims of “end-to-end” automation were misleading.
Adcock called the article “downright lies” and announced that his litigation counsel had taken steps to defend Figure’s reputation.
The Wall Street Journal also published an article this month raising concerns about Figure’s claim, but Adcock hasn’t responded publicly.
Why it matters: Adcock insists that Figure AI has been transparent about the pilot nature of the project, but the dispute raises broader questions about the hype and reality in the robotics and AI industries, where startups often face pressure to demonstrate rapid progress to investors and the public.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY
Image source: Cornell University
The Rundown: Researchers at Cornell University developed a new AI framework—RHyME (Retrieval for Hybrid Imitation under Mismatched Execution)—that enables robots to learn new tasks simply by watching just a single how-to video.
The details:
The system works by tapping into a robot’s memory bank, allowing it to recombine modular components of different demos to perform new tasks.
RHyME enables robots to learn even if the human demonstrators’ actions differ from what the robot can physically perform.
Training robots with RHyME requires only about 30 minutes of robot-specific data, compared to the thousands of hours often needed by traditional methods.
In laboratory tests, robots equipped with RHyME achieved over 50% higher task success rates than those using previous learning approaches.
Why it matters: The framework allows robots to handle unexpected scenarios by drawing on similar actions from their video memory, rather than failing when something goes off-script. Backed by Google and OpenAI, the project is a big shift from traditional robotic training, which can demand exhaustive data and countless hours of demos.
QUICK HITS
📰 Everything else in robotics today
U.S.-based Medtronic announced that it has tested its Hugo surgical robot in 137 real surgeries on kidneys, prostates, and bladders with a 98.5% success rate.
Canadian robotics firm Axibo, specializing in automated filmmaking rigs, is launching a humanoid robotics division with $12M in funding.
Chinese robotaxi startup Pony.ai reportedly slashed the cost of its self-driving package range by 70%, with its robotaxis costing up to 30% less than Waymo’s.
Elon Musk posted on X that robots “will surpass good human surgeons within a few years and the best human surgeons within ~5 years.”
Johns Hopkins University researchers found that humans are, in fact, better than current AI models at understanding social dynamics in moving scenes.
South Korean researchers developed an experimental drone that maneuvers with flying-squirrel-inspired silicone-membrane wings.
Tesla launched an employee-only robotaxi pilot in Austin and San Francisco, with the pilot completing more than 1,500 trips and 15K miles.
Chery plans to deploy its new humanoid Mornine as sales consultants in auto dealerships to explain vehicle specs, serve drinks, and speak in multiple languages.
U.S.-based RIC Robotics expects to unveil a working prototype of its 20-feet-tall (6-meter) construction robot in early 2026.
Market researcher SNS Insider cites that the U.S. rehabilitation robotics market is projected to reach $1.33B by 2032.
Locus Robotics announced that it has “surpassed the 5B-units-picked milestone” for its AI-driven mobile warehouse automation.
Market researcher MarketandMarkets predicts the U.S. humanoid robot market will reach $3.83B by 2029.
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Rowan, Jennifer, and Joey—The Rundown’s editorial team