Jeff Cardenas, co-founder of Apptronik, discusses how embodied AI and practical design choices could help humanoid robots scale, at the A3 Humanoid Robot Forum hosted by Automate Show.
Apptronik began in 2016 with a focus on bringing humanoid robots into commercial use. Cardenas says the field has moved from debating whether humanoids can work to figuring out how to scale them reliably. He describes the company’s decade of development as including 10 humanoid designs and about 80 electric actuator iterations.
Cardenas argues that wheeled and legged robots can serve different stages and tasks. Wheels can make early deployments and data gathering more practical, while legs offer whole-body movement and a compact footprint for varied tasks. Apptronik’s Apollo platform supports both, and he says the industry still needs clear safety standards for legged robots.
He frames commercial success as a chain of connected needs: viable economics, reliable hardware, safety, manufacturing, controls, and AI. A shared platform could reduce costs through scale and attract developers, though he emphasizes that quality and dependable service matter more than simply making robots cheap. Data can come from robots, people, and simulation, with different collection methods suited to different needs.
Near-term work includes warehouse tasks such as picking, packout, and kitting. Cardenas sees a path from back-of-house roles to customer-facing settings and eventually homes, with healthcare and elder care as promising areas. He says customers will need confidence in a robot’s safety, reliability, and the company’s ability to support it.
In response to questions, Cardenas says two arms can handle more tasks than one by letting a robot stabilize an object while manipulating it, often with simpler grippers. He expects bimanual mobile manipulation to remain useful as data and AI improve. On pricing, he anticipates both outright purchases and subscription models, with subscriptions more appealing in logistics and purchases more common in manufacturing.
Briefs summarise talks and interviews; timestamps open the video at that moment. Claims in a talk are the speaker's own.
Jeff Cardenas of Apptronik discusses humanoid robot safety, deployment scale, and product design with the Automated Podcast host at the Humanoid Robot Forum.
Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Austin-based Apptronik, discusses the development, business strategy, and global stakes of its Apollo humanoid robots with WSJ Podcasts host Tim.
Jeff Cardenas, co-founder of Apptronik, discusses humanoid robot pilots, commercial readiness, safety, and the path from industrial work to broader use with host Brian Heer at the Humanoid Robotic Forum.
Jeff Cardenas, CEO of Austin-based Apptronik, discusses building the Apollo humanoid robot, its commercial path, and competition with Tesla and China on WSJ Podcasts’ Bold Names.
Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas talks with John Koetsier on NEXT about Apollo’s development, manufacturing plans, the humanoid robot market, and the path to adoption.
Jeff Cardenas, CEO and co-founder of Apptronik, discusses humanoid robots and warehouse automation with The New Warehouse at Manifest 2024.
