Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has halted further development of the Everyday Robots initiative, a mobile assistant project aimed at simplifying tasks in homes and workplaces. The plan to advance Everyday Robots has been paused, with certain technologies and team members redirected to other Google Research robotics efforts, according to insiders familiar with the move.
From 2021 onward, prototypes of compact, single-armed wheeled robots were explored in Google offices, demonstrating capabilities such as fetching beverages and light snacks. The project also pursued teaching machines to interpret and act on natural language commands, a leap tied to Google’s broader AI research program.
In 2022, an update rolled out across the robots aligned with advances in natural language processing, enabling more intuitive interaction and command understanding. While the hardware showed promise in controlled settings, observers noted that the broader Everyday Robots initiative faced challenges typical of long-term robotics research, including integration into existing product lines and scalable deployment at scale.
Coverage at the time reflected a mixed sentiment about the initiative. Tech journalists described the decision to discontinue Everyday Robots as a sobering turn for a project that carried ambitious expectations after years of significant investment and the acquisition of various robotics specialists. The broader takeaway highlighted the difficulty of turning lab-tested capabilities into widely available consumer or enterprise robots, even with strong backing and collaboration across companies.
Meanwhile, other industry players continued to unveil robotic concepts at technology events. For instance, at a major mobile technology conference, a Chinese electronics firm showcased updates to its robotic platforms, including a compact robot dog and a humanoid model. These iterations illustrated ongoing interest in domestic and commercial service robotics, even as major research programs undergo corporate restructurings or strategic pivots. This landscape underscores that while some projects retire, the pursuit of practical, friendly robots in everyday environments remains active across the tech ecosystem, driven by advances in perception, manipulation, and language understanding. [Citation: Verge coverage on Alphabet’s robotics strategy]