A representational image of a robotic hand and a display. iStock/Pexels
Apple is reportedly working on a device that uses a robot arm to move around a display. Controlled via Siri and Apple Intelligence, the device could be used as a central smart home command center.
The device will be able to follow instructions such as “look at me” to reposition the screen and will also be able to change the camera’s focus, according to reports.
The company is expected to unveil the device by 2026 or 2027 with a possible price tag of $1,000.
Several hundred people working on development of device
Currently, several hundred people are reportedly working on the development of the product.
The device uses a thin robotic arm to move around a large screen, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The product, which relies on actuators to tilt the display up and down and make it spin 360 degrees, would offer a twist on home products like Amazon’s Echo Show 10 and Meta Platforms’s discontinued Portal, reported Bloomberg.
Responding to commands, the device will be able to tilt the screen to face a user during a video call. Currently, the company is testing the models that run the “customized version” of iPadOS.
Tabletop device is expected to serve multiple purposes
The tabletop device is expected to serve multiple purposes, allowing users to control their smart home systems, attend video calls, monitor home security, and more.
Reports suggest the project, codenamed J595, was approved by the company two years ago but in the past few months, there have been increasing developments in the project.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is in favor of device
Despite apparent internal concerns that consumers wouldn’t buy a robotic device like that, as well as the resources required to make software to drive it, the effort had some major backing. Apple CEO Tim Cook is apparently in favor of it, as well as head of hardware engineering John Ternus.
Apple’s vice president of technology Kevin Lynch, who joined the company in 2013 after leaving Adobe, is in charge of the project.
The simple idea behind the device is that the company plans to develop a display with a robotic hand. The display should be able to mimic a person’s head movements, such as nodding, during a FaceTime session. It could also have a feature to lock onto a single person among a crowd during a video call.
At the time, Apple executives reportedly expressed concerns about whether consumers would be willing to pay a premium price for the device, and there were also technical challenges associated with balancing the weight of a robotic motor on a small stand.
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