Apple Develops Robotic Arm With Built-In iPad

Apple is continuing to develop a high-priced desktop home device that combines an iPad-like display with a robotic limb in search of new revenue streams, Bloomberg reports.

According to Gurman, the device is intended to be a smart home command center. It could also be used for video conferencing and remote control of home security. The device, which Gurman’s sources describe as a robot with a 360-degree rotating screen, is intended to be a more advanced alternative to home products like Amazon’s Echo Show 10 smart display and Meta’s discontinued Portal smart display.

A team of several hundred people is working on the creation of the robotic arm. The development is led by company veteran Kevin Lynch. He holds the position of vice president of technology, oversaw the development of Apple’s self-driving car and, until recently, managed the creation of software responsible for monitoring health indicators in the Apple Watch smartwatch.

Media reports said Apple’s industrial design team spent years studying desktop robot concepts before coming to a consensus on the matter.