Deere and Mercedes-Benz Invest in Humanoid Robots
Mercedes-Benz is one of several manufacturers that are investing in humanoid robots such as Apollo. Photo courtesy Apptronik
AUSTIN, TX—John Deere and Mercedes-Benz are among several companies that are investing more than $500 million in Apptronik Inc, a startup that has developed a humanoid robot called Apollo. With the fresh capital, Apptronik plans to ramp up production and expand its global network of commercial and pilot deployments.
The funding will also help pave the way for a highly anticipated next-generation machine that is scheduled to be unveiled later this year. In addition, Apptronik plans to invest in projects that support long-term R&D, such as building state-of-the-art facilities for robot training and data collection.
“Today’s investment is a strong vote of confidence in our mission to deliver humanoid robots that are designed to work alongside humans, not just as tools but as trusted collaborators,” says Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Apptronik. “With the backing of our longstanding investors and strategic partners, we’re posed to unveil the newest version of Apollo and maximize the impact of embodied AI across industries.
“Together, we’re transforming work flows, reimagining factory floors and writing a new chapter for next-generation humanoid robots that are designed and built to drive meaningful societal progress,” adds Cardenas.
According to Cardenas, Apollo is “designed to revolutionize human-robot interaction” by taking on “physically demanding work and labor-intensive operational processes in manufacturing and logistics—working alongside human counterparts to transport components, sort and kit, among other tasks.”
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