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This Pixar-style lamp robot could hint at Apple’s dream to make home robots a reality

Apple has published a new research paper that argues traits like expressive movements are foundational to human-robot interaction.

An expressive and functional robot for home use cases. (Image credit: Apple)

Apple has developed a tabletop robot that is expressive in nature and more engaging than traditional robots, hinting that the company may have ambitions to make home robots a reality. The announcement was made via a research paper on Apple’s Machine Learning Research site.

“We argue that robots should not only move to fulfill functional purposes and constraints but also move ‘elegantly’—using their movements to express intentions, attention, and emotions to their human counterparts during human-robot interactions (HRI),” the research paper notes.

The project—which is being led by Yuhan Hu, Peide Huang, Mouli Sivapurapu, and Jian Zhang—aims to demonstrate that robots can be expressive. A video released alongside the paper shows a researcher completing tasks with two robots, one labeled “Expressive” and the other “Functional,” with the former reacting in a more fun way. The unnamed robot has articulating arms, with what appears to be an LED light, camera, speaker, and projector built in. They respond to gestures and voice commands and have a voice that sounds like Apple’s Siri. The paper emphasises how one of the robots has a distinct personality, or perhaps develops a cheerful personality as it spends more time with its owner.

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For example, when the researcher in the video plays music, the “Expressive” robot lamp dances with her. When she asks about the weather, it looks outside first. This may be a point Apple wants to prove—how the “expressive” robot forms a connection between human and object.

For years, there has been speculation that Apple has set its sights on home robotics, a space that is even more relevant in an artificial intelligence-driven world. In recent months, it has become clearer that Apple’s next project after the iPhone may be a home robot device, with Bloomberg reporting that a “team of several hundred people” is working on a device that attaches an iPad-style display to a robotic arm, using actuators to tilt up and down as well as spin 360 degrees—similar to Amazon’s Echo Show.

However, the recent research paper published by Apple suggests a slightly different approach than what its competitors have taken with similar devices. Kevin Lynch, Apple’s vice president of technology, is reportedly handling the home robotics project.

With the “expressive” tabletop robot, Apple pays homage to the Luxo Jr. lamp, which has served as Pixar Animation Studio’s long-time mascot. For those who are not aware, Pixar was founded with help from the late Steve Jobs.

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