Art by Clark MillerWhy Humanoid Robots Are the Latest Front in America’s Tech War With China
U.S. and Chinese robot makers are vying for supremacy in an industry that could turn into a trillion-dollar jackpot.
Elon Musk’s forecasts of an ultralavish future for Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, have not only been a boon to his company’s share price: They’ve provided a broad lift to nearly everyone working on humanoids, a technology once considered a fantasy land.
One of the biggest beneficiaries is Apptronik, a scrappy Austin, Texas, rival working, in a partnership with Google DeepMind, on a humanoid robot called Apollo.
In March, the Musk-created industry halo helped Apptronik raise a $415 million Series A round, including an investment from Google. Until then, Apptronik had raised only $38 million in seed funding. Days after closing the deal, Apptronik CEO Jeff Cardenas jetted to Washington with a video of his Apollo robots. He had been invited to a closed-door meeting with Congressional lawmakers alongside the executives of fellow humanoid developers, including a Musk lieutenant representing Tesla.