Tesla Optimus is making headlines lately, but it’s not the only name fans of autonomous robotics should pay attention to. Meet Apptronik Apollo. The humanoid robot was announced in 2023 and is way ahead of the curve.
Apptronik’s co-founders, Jeff Cardenas and Dr. Nick Paine, know a thing or two about autonomous robotics. Both have worked in the industry for years, even teaming up with NASA for over 10 years. They built Apollo to work hand-in-hand with humans to make life easier at work and eventually home.
Read more to discover why Apptronik is at the top of the food chain in autonomous robotics.
What Is Apollo?
If you haven’t heard of Apptronik, make no mistake about it—they have more experience in the autonomous robotics field than most startups. Since beginning in the University of Texas, Austin Human Centered Robotics Lab, the co-founders have quickly made a name for themselves as leaders in robotics.
So what is Apollo? Apollo is Apptronik’s first commercial humanoid robot. It is designed to resemble an adult human being and be able to perform many different tasks with similar spatial awareness to people. It has a 55-pound payload and a removable battery that provides 4 hours of life per charge.
One of Apollo’s best traits is its versatile modularity. The humanoid robot can be customized for different work environments by attaching the upper body to a bipedal, stationary, or wheeled base.
Comparing Apollo to Tesla Optimus and Figure 02
When people think of humanoid robotics, Tesla Optimus or Figure 02 are usually the first names they think of. But, Apollo can go toe-to-toe with Optimus on many tasks and is already showing signs that it is likely further along in production.
Apollo is primarily targeted at manufacturing, logistics, and automotive industries, with Mercedes Benz testing the robots in their warehouses. Apollo uses linear actuators, which some think give it more human-like movements when walking and moving around.
The fluid motions of the humanoid robots seem to be ideal for performing jobs in many different industries, ranging from manufacturing to retail.
Apollo has the following strengths compared to Optimus.
- Removable Battery: The battery can be taken out and replaced with another.
- Linear Actuators: Enable more fluid motion.
- Modular Design: Has the ability to transform from a mobile to a stationary robot.
- Decades of Research: The robot has been developed by a team with nearly a decade of humanoid robotics research.
While Apollo does have an upper hand on some design and research features, Tesla’s Optimus is 30 pounds lighter, which may raise questions about productivity and safety comparisons between the two.
What Can Apollo Do?
With years of research and robotics manufacturing, you know Apollo is ahead of the game. But what exactly can it do? For starters, it can walk, turn its head, and even talk to humans.
Not impressed yet? Apollo has a robust payload capacity of 55 pounds. This allows it to carry heavy packages or lift heavier components in factory settings. It can “see” 360 degrees, and with replaceable batteries, it can work up to 22 hours a day.
Apollo isn’t fully autonomous yet, but Apptronik is actively training the robots.
They recently partnered with NVDA GR00T, and the results were impressive. The company even reported that the machine learned how to use a juicer on its own.
What Will Apollo Do in the Future?
While working with NVDA is accelerating Apollo’s progress, its parents at Apptronik aren’t fully ready to let the robot move out on its own just yet. That said, they are very optimistic about what the future holds for Apollo.
In the coming years, the company thinks Apollo will be able to sort items, pick them up and move them around, and work with humans in industries such as manufacturing, retail, and even healthcare. Eventually, Apollo may even travel to outer space.
What Are the Production Plans?
Apptronik recently announced that it will be working with Jabil to begin mass-producing Apollo. While this is exciting news, it’s not the whole story. Because Jabil is one of the leading electronic manufacturers in the world, it is not only a logical place to build but also test the robots in action.
Apptronik may be rolling out the humanoid robots inside Jabil’s warehouses as soon as 2026.
Apollo Design and Features
Apollo is a humanoid robot that is designed to work alongside humans and perform boring and even dangerous tasks. It has a human-like shape, with a friendly face and a display panel on its chest. The modular design means it can be used with bipedals, wheels, or on a stationary stand.
It is powered by electricity, with a replaceable battery with a 4-hour lifespan. The robot has arms and hands controlled by linear actuators to produce realistic human-like movements.
Co-founder Jeff Cardenas said he wants Apollo to be the “iPhone of robots” and perform thousands of tasks autonomously with software-supported adaptability. It’s not as hard as you may imagine to imagine Apollo doing things like doing laundry, assisting in a medical setting, or solving a Rubik’s cube.
Apollo is one of the more advanced robotic humanoids, with the following specifications:
- Height: 5’8”
- Weight: 160 lbs
- AI Software: NVIDIA’s GR00T
- Actuators: Linear
- Battery Life: 4 hours
- Pay Load: 55 lbs
How Much Does the Apollo Robot Cost?
While you can’t order an Apollo robot on Amazon Prime just yet, the company hopes to sell the product commercially by 2026.
The target price? Cardenas is aiming to get the robot manufactured at a cost where retail could be less than $50,000.
You can contact Apptronik directly if you want to discuss using Apollo in your business in the future.
The Technology Behind Apollo
Apptronik designed a life-like humanoid robot with Apollo. Here’s the technology they used:
- Modular design: The upper body can be used with bipedal design, wheels, or on a stationary stand.
- Cameras and sensors: The robot features 2 stereoscopic cameras in the eyes, along with sensors in the body to “see” up to 360 degrees.
- Digital displays: There are 2 displays. The face is powered by a monochromatic E Ink display that can change facial expressions. The screen on the chest indicates performance features like battery power and written communications to employees.
- Control software: Apptronik has a software suite that enables point-and-click control of the robot.
- Muscle groups: Apollo has 30 “muscle groups”, which are powered by linear actuators.
- Force control architecture: This helps control the robot’s movements in smaller spaces.
- AI software: To become fully autonomous, Apptronik has partnered with Google and NVIDIA to incorporate AI technology into the robot. The software helps Apollo learn how to do certain things by watching people. While there aren’t reports of speech-to-speech reasoning yet, the partnership with the AI tech giant indicates that it should be on the horizon.
Google & Apptronik’s Apollo
Google is partnering with Apptronik to build the next generation of humanoid robots with Gemini 2.0 – and opening our Gemini Robotics-ER model to trusted testers such as Agile Robots, Agility Robotics , Boston Dynamics and Enchanted Tools .
Industrial Applications
Apollo is already being used in trials from large international businesses. Because it can move similarly to a human, the humanoid robot is being trained to peform tasks in the workplace.
The robots are already being used in trial runs in the automotive and manufacturing spaces. They worked with the following partners:
- Mercedes-Benz: In 2024, Apptronik partnered wth Mercedes-Benz, announcing that the automobile manufacturer would start testing Apollo in their factories. The idea was to use the robot to perform dangerous or time-consuming tasks. They also aimed to test the idea of the robots as a delivery system from storage to the employees on the assembly line.
- Jabil: The recent announcement that Jabil will manufacture and test Apollo robots is turning heads. According to Apptrnik, the large engineering firm is going to test the robots performing tasks “including inspection, sorting, kitting, lineside delivery, fixture placement, and sub-assembly before being deployed to Apptronik customer sites.” This experience could translate to industries outside of manufacturing, and the AI technology should allow it to pick up new skills along the way.
- NASA: Apptronik has worked with NASA for 12 years, designing 2 humanoid robots—Valkyrie and Apollo. NASA helped Apptronik by providing software and engineering expertise related to robot and human collaboration.
Is Apptronik a Public Company?
No, Apptronik is a privately owned company and is not listed on the NYSE or any other exchange. There are no announced plans for an IPO or public listing at this time.
How to Invest in Apptronik?
While most retail investors cannot purchase Apptronik, there has been recent economic activity related to the company. A successful seed round in 2022 raised $14.6 million, which helped them scale up production to meet orders.
Private investors have put money in the stock through a Series A funding of $350 million. Google, Capital Factory, and several other companies took part in the purchase. Update: Apptronik, a Texas-based company specializing in AI-powered humanoid robotics, has successfully closed an oversubscribed Series A funding round at $403 million. This includes an additional $53 million added to the initial $350 million announced in February. The funding round saw participation from prominent investors such as Mercedes-Benz, ARK Invest and Japan Post Capital, among others.
Apollo Is Ready for Take Off
What Apptronik is doing is simply incredible. They are designing humanoid robots with the goal of making life easier for everyone on this planet—and in outer space.
Apptronik and NASA built Apollo to help with dangerous tasks, including exploring the moon and other planets. There is speculation that Apollo could work on the International Space Station or lunar rovers in the future.