NASA’s humanoid robot helps build

We have seen impressive developments in humanoid robots over the past few years. Elon Musk and Tesla introduces the Optimus robot last year, and every few months Boston Dynamics is teaching its Atlas robot some new tricks. Next month at South by Southwest, a Texas-based startup will reveal to a small group its vision for a versatile robot.

Apptronik calls its new robot Apollo, in part because it has partnered with NASA to commercialize the robot. Although there are no plans to send Apollo into space, the space agency wants to encourage the development of humanoid robots that could one day lead to a robotic space explorer. We haven’t seen any official images of Apollo, but Apptronik has posted several videos over the past few weeks showing some of his robot prototypes that ultimately helped design Apollo.

“Apollo is the robot we’ve always wanted to build,” CEO Jeff Cardenas told CNET. “We designed the whole world for the human form. Having a robot that has the same footprint as a human and can use all the same tools that we use and adapt to the same places, is incredibly helpful.” Watch the video above to learn more about Cardenas and learn more about Apollo.

Cardenas says Apptronik will reveal Apollo to the public and begin taking pre-orders later this year. He expects the first deliveries in 2024.