In late 2024, Automation World reported on humanoid robotic developer Apptronik’s work with the Google DeepMind robotics team to combine artificial intelligence and “embodied intelligence” to advance humanoid robots for use in dynamic environments. The term “embodied intelligence” refers to how the mind and body work together to influence behavior and learning. In robotics, it references the use of AI to create systems that can interact with the physical world effectively.
Though that news was not specific to the use of Apptronik robots in manufacturing, the latest news from Apptronik and Jabil definitely is. The two companies have announced a strategic collaboration that involves Jabil integrating Apptronik’s Apollo humanoid robots into specific Jabil manufacturing operations. This includes the production lines at Jabil that will eventually build Apollo humanoid robots. As Apptronik noted, this paves the way for Apollo to build Apollo.
Apollo robots will be used in Jabil’s factory for real-world validation testing, which includes a variety of simple, repetitive intralogistics and manufacturing tasks, such as inspection, sorting, kitting, lineside delivery, fixture placement and sub-assembly prior to deployment at Apptronik’s customer sites. By building and evaluating their function within Jabil’s production environment, Apptronik and Jabil will be able to gather real-world use cases for automating manufacturing with Apollo while also optimizing Apollo’s AI models.
“We’ve been committed to advanced automation and robotics across our operations, so piloting Apollo is a logical next step for our division and for Jabil in the long term,” said Rafael Renno, senior vice president of global business units at Jabil. “Not only will we get a first-hand look at the impact that general-purpose robots can have as we test Apollo in our operations, but as we begin producing Apollo units, we can play a role in defining the future of manufacturing. These new technologies and applications further enhance Jabil's best-in-class capabilities to solve complex challenges and manufacture at scale for our customers.”
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