Apple purportedly working to build an Amazon Astro-style robot

In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says Apple has been working to build an Amazon Astro-style robot (pictured) that can follow a user around the home and help handle chores. 

“Executives at the company have even discussed the prospect of humanoid robots,” he says. “Like the failed car project, any mobile device that needs to operate like a human or navigate around objects will need an advanced AI engine at its core. 

Similarly, Gurman says that a Siri revamp that’s underway could be at the core of Apple’s future table-top robot, which is essentially a large iPad display that can move around to mimic the head motions of a human. That device will be primarily controlled by voice — and having a more precise and sophisticated version of Siri will be invaluable, he adds.

This info from Gurman is from the free edition of “Power On”. If you like it, consider subscribing to Bloomberg.com—you’ll receive the newsletter earlier and get exclusive access to a Q&A section.