NASA is partnering with Apptronik, a Texas-based startup, to help lead to a humanoid robot that could one day explore space. This robot, Apollo, is set to be revealed at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, next month.
In recent years, impressive developments have been made in humanoid robots. Last year, Elon Musk and Tesla introduced the Optimus robot, and Boston Dynamics has been teaching its Atlas robot new tricks at regular intervals. Apptronik’s Apollo has been developing for the past few weeks, and several prototype robots have been tested.
NASA’s involvement in Apollo is key in developing a robot capable of space exploration. The space agency is focusing on encouraging the development of a humanoid robot that can handle space travel’s rigors. Though Apollo is unlikely to be the one to go to space, it provides a crucial stepping stone in the development of humanoid robots.
Apptronik has yet to release any official images of Apollo, but the company has already shown brief world snippets of the robot’s capabilities. The future looks bright for humanoid robots, with Apptronik leading the way.