Apple’s Latest Move in Smart Home Tech: A Faceless Desk Lamp with a Personality

Thirty-nine years ago, the creative geniuses at Pixar made us believe that a faceless desk lamp could be incredibly expressive and cute. Now, Apple, with its focus on home robotics, is bringing this concept to life with a lamp that’s not only adorable but also responds to your requests. This tech giant has been working on a lamp that’s a little goofy while it tries to respond to your requests, and it may be the one Apple Intelligence-enabled device I want in my life—more than any AI assistant on my iPhone.

The "ELEGNT" Device: A Breakthrough in Non-Anthropomorphic Robot Design

Apple’s Machine Learning Research division recently posted a research paper detailing its "expressive and functional movement design for non-anthropomorphic robot." This paper, titled "ELEGNT," outlines a framework for creating robots that can move and interact in a way that’s both expressive and functional. The researchers at Apple have created a device that’s reminiscent of Pixar’s mascot Luxo Jr. and is somehow just as cute. Engineers can gesture to get the lamp to move forward or look in a particular direction, and the lamp responds with various states of "attention," "attitude," and "expression."

A Glimpse into the Future of Smart Home Tech

The video of the expressive lamp in action has been uploaded to YouTube, and it’s a must-see. The lamp’s movements are equal parts confused and curious, and it even apologizes with an AI-generated voice when it can’t reach a note. In another part of the video, the robot looks outside, processes the weather, and then asks if it’s invited on a hiking trip with its owner. The lamp’s responses are both entertaining and convincing, making it hard to forget that its speech and body language are generated based on algorithms.

The Challenges of Making it Functional and Convincing

While the expressive movements of the lamp are undeniably charming, the tricky thing is to make it functional while still having the "attitude." The researchers at Apple are aware of this challenge and are working to create a device that’s both entertaining and practical. The other aspect to consider is whether the expressive movements add to the emotionality of what’s otherwise staid and boring speech you typically get from AI chatbots.

Apple’s Plans for Smart Home Tech

There’s speculation about how Apple wants to intrude into smart home tech that’s more than just another HomePod. The latest rumors from trusted sources at Bloomberg claim that Apple’s engineers are crafting a touchscreen at the end of a robotic arm. The arm is supposed to follow you and respond to you, hands-free with the help of AI. This concept is neat in theory, but cost and practicability inevitably hinder these kinds of futuristic tech.

The Future of Human-Robot Interaction

These expressive interactions may set any upcoming smart home tech apart from the many other smart screens on the market. Apple’s engineers heavily cite a 2014 paper in the Journal of Human-Robot Interaction by Guy Hoffman and Wendy Ju, both associate professors at Cornell University. The researchers used a "Wizard of Oz" technique, where there’s a "man behind the curtain" controlling the bot. With the wide-ranging improvements in robotics and AI, we should be able to see how this works when nobody’s controlling these interactions.

More Recent Developments in Apple’s Smart Home Plans

More recent reports note that Apple is developing a smart home camera and another smart home display to compete with AI-enabled Google Nest cameras or Amazon’s Echo Show. This new drive for smart home tech will likely push the Apple Intelligence angle even further, though inevitably Apple hopes to entice customers to the warm bosom of its walled garden. Why buy any other brand that may or may not work with Apple, when you could just buy Apple (though at a premium price)?