Shaping the Future: Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas and the Apollo Humanoid

The Robot Report Podcast · 23 Aug 2023 · 1h 18m

What this episode covers

Apptronik CEO and co-founder Jeff Cardenas discusses the launch of Apollo, the company's first commercial humanoid robot, detailing its design for logistics workflows and its novel electric linear actuators. Cardenas explains Apptronik's history, including work on NASA's Valkyrie and military exoskeletons, which informed Apollo's development to achieve affordability and mass manufacturability. He highlights the strategic decision to use gross manipulation end-effectors initially to solve immediate labor shortages in logistics while maintaining a path toward full dexterity. The episode covers the market pull for general-purpose robots, the technical challenges of actuation, and safety considerations for human-robot collaboration.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies: Apptronik, NASA, Locust, Cruise, Waymo, Agility Robotics, US SoCom
Products: Apollo, Valkyrie, Digit, Astra, Talos

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Shaping the Future: Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas and the Apollo Humanoid

What this episode covers

Most relevant to

Topics

Mentioned

Related episodes from other shows

Ep. 20 | Dr. Aaron Edsinger, CEO & Co-founder of Hello Robot and Former Head of Robotics at Google on Humanity in Robots

Episode 163: Robots helping people - Aaron Edsinger

191: The State of Robotics: Live From the 2024 Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston, MA

264: Inside Automated: Asking the Right Questions about Robotics and AI with Brian Heater, Managing Editor at A3 and Host of the Automated Podcast

203: Humanoid Robots: Industrial Applications, Safety, and Going Beyond the Hype to Solve Real Problems Featuring Agility Robotics' Melonee Wise