Apple is accelerating its commitment to home robotics with a AI robot designed as a physical assistant for the home. The project, which some within the company have dubbed the "Pixar lamp," draws on previous work in robotics and proposes a device that moves and responds as if it were another interlocutor in the home.
According to sources familiar with the roadmap, the company is working on a desktop model that aims to arrive in 2027 if development progresses as expected. The priority today is on AI software and a completely revamped Siri, while the final hardware design continues to take shape.
Design, use and capabilities of the robot
The device is described as a desktop robot with 7-inch screen mounted on a motorized arm. This arm can rotate and move approximately 15 centimeters in any direction to face the person speaking and maintain eye contact.
The experience that Apple pursues is that the team behave “like someone else on the property”: able to follow conversations, understand context, and react with helpful suggestions. Can suggest restaurants while talking about dinner, suggest recipes, or help plan a trip, without the user having to explicitly ask for it.
To do this, the robot relies on a new generation Siri, based on advanced language models with better recall and more natural comprehension. The goal is to bring interaction closer to the tone of a fluid conversation, in line with more modern voice modes, but with the company's own technology.
In video calls, it will integrate Center Stage style functions: the screen will be able to frame and follow people who are in the room during a FaceTime call. In addition, Apple has proven that the iPhone can become a joystick improvised to orient the screen and show different points of the room.
Another distinguishing feature will be its “visual personality”. Internally it's known as Bubbles: an animated assistant setup that seeks to humanize responses and gestures, with ideas ranging from reinterpretations of the Finder icon to Memoji-inspired styles. While there's no final decision, the approach is moving towards a expressive and lively interface.
The Brain: New Siri and the Charismatic System (homeOS)
The basis of the project is a Siri with architecture LLM, known internally as Linwood, focuses on understanding context, remembering data, and accurately executing tasks. Apple has evaluated complementary alternatives (Glenwood) that include external models like Claude, although the final combination has not been finalized.
The system that would give life to the robot is identified by the code name Charismatic and could be commercially launched as homeOS. The interface revolves around widgets and shortcuts, prioritizing the voice interaction using App Intents to control features and apps without navigating complex menus.
Another important piece is the multi-user support: the equipment is designed for homes, with facial recognition to adapt the experience, content, and permissions to whoever approaches in seconds. This way, each person can find their own settings without additional steps.
In parallel, the company has organized AI, hardware, and interface design teams to integrate these layers with the motorized arm and vision capabilities. Part of the push is led by Kevin Lynch, with experience in software and device products.
The expected result is a cohesive set in which the robot “understand, remember and act” on the fly, with a visual presence that reinforces the feeling of natural dialogue.
Other robots on Apple's radar
Beyond the desktop model, Apple explores a wheeled mobile robot to move through large spaces and act as a service platform. This is a distinct concept, designed for environments where mobility provides added value.
On the professional front, there are jobs in a large mechanical arm (code T1333) aimed at manufacturing facilities or the back of stores. It is still a distant project, with several years of development ahead before its real viability can be considered.
These parallel lines indicate that the company is seeking reuse learning of the domestic robot for different scenarios, raising the brand's stake in AI robotics.
Schedule, project status and what remains to be decided
The current plan places the desktop robot in the 2027 range, with prototypes already using screens measuring around 7 inches and a motorized arm capable of extending half a foot from the base. The timescale, in any case, is subject to software progress.
The final aesthetic design—including the Siri's visual personality— remains on the table. The teams evaluate which style best inspires responses and how to convey emotions or nuances without becoming strident.
Another pending factor is the exact combination of language models and their integration with privacy of the user. The idea is for the system to remember useful data without invading personal spheres, and to do so in a reliable and transparent manner.
Ultimately, the goal is a robot capable of collaborate proactively at home, providing mobility, natural conversation, and frictionless environmental control.
