Apptronik, Jabil Partner to Scale Apollo, Advancing Robots that Build Robots

Apptronik, a US-based AI-powered humanoid robotics company, and Jabil, a global leader in engineering and manufacturing, have announced a collaboration to build and integrate Apollo humanoid robots into Jabil’s manufacturing operations. 

This partnership leverages Apollo robots on the production lines that create them, marking progress towards robots constructing robots. The company announced this in a post on X, saying it is “paving the way for Apollo to build Apollo.”

The pilot program involves testing newly manufactured Apollo units in Jabil’s factory environment. The units will perform tasks such as inspection, sorting, and sub-assembly. 

These robots are designed to support the existing workforce by taking over repetitive tasks, allowing employees to focus on more complex projects.

Jeff Cardenas, co-founder and CEO of Apptronik, stressed the need for rapid, scalable production of humanoid robots at the right price to make them ubiquitous. He noted, “Apollo humanoid robots will handle material movement and assembly tasks in the factory.”

Brett Adcock, founder of Figure AI, also recently hinted at the new strategy of “robots helping build more robots” in his post on X.

This collaboration aims to enhance Jabil’s capabilities in solving complex manufacturing challenges and producing at scale, positioning Apptronik to expand into new markets such as retail and elder care.

This partnership follows the latest funding development for Apptronik, where it raised $350 million in Series A funding.

“This will fuel the deployment of Apollo, allow us to scale our operations, and get us one step closer to meeting the global demand for humanoid robots,” the company announced on X. 

The funding round also saw participation from Google, which adds to the company’s last partnership with Google DeepMind’s robotics team to create truly intelligent and autonomous robots.