Apptronik/Humanoid
Apollo
A working humanoid, already on pilot lines.
- ~$5B-valued; backed by Google and Mercedes-Benz
- Runs Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics AI
- Built for 22-hour days via hot-swap batteries
Realism index
28/100
Our editorial estimate of how close this machine is to a lifelike human companion — six weighted dimensions, built from public evidence. How we score · The whole field, ranked
See it move
Photos flatter; motion is where realism is won or lost.
Apollo is what a humanoid looks like when the goal is a paycheck, not a relationship. At 1.7 metres and 73 kilograms, it's built to move totes, tend machines, and kit parts — and it's already doing supervised versions of that work in pilots with Mercedes-Benz, GXO Logistics, and Jabil.
Apptronik's edge is hardware: more than thirty in-house generations of safe, force-controlled actuators, now paired with Google DeepMind's Gemini Robotics for natural-language tasking. A ~$5 billion valuation funds the push to scale.
It has no face beyond a status display and no companion ambitions whatsoever. Apollo earns its place here as proof that humanoids are starting to do real, paid work in 2026 — the industrial foundation on top of which the more intimate machines are being imagined.
Our verdict
The case for
- Strong industrial validation — Mercedes-Benz, GXO and Jabil pilots
- Purpose-built compliant actuators for safety
- Deep capital and AI backing for scale-up
The case against
- Still pilot-stage; no mass production or public price in 2026
- The ~4-hour battery needs hot-swapping for full shifts
- Dexterous hands are still maturing
What it can do
- Moves totes and boxes; kitting, picking, sorting, inspection
- Natural-language tasking via Gemini Robotics
- Designed for human-collaborative operation
The paper trail
Dated milestones — announcements, prices, promised ship windows — as they were made. We add to this record; we don't rewrite it.
Raises $520M more at ~$5B valuation
Series A passes $935M total, pointed at planned commercial-scale deployment in 2026.
$350M Series A with Google participation
Co-led by B Capital and Capital Factory, on top of a Google DeepMind robotics partnership.
Lab proof-of-concept first, then Apollo trials in a US distribution center.
Apollo's first commercial deployment: intralogistics trials in Mercedes plants.
Show 1 earlier milestones ↓Hide earlier milestones ↑
Apptronik targeted a commercial release by end of 2024 at 'about the price of a new car' — a window that came and went.
Quick answers
Composed from the directory record above — so they can't drift from the data.
- What is Apollo?
- Apollo is a humanoid-class machine (general-purpose) from Apptronik (USA). A 73-kilogram industrial humanoid, backed by Google and Mercedes-Benz, already moving boxes in pilot warehouses.
- How much does Apollo cost?
- Apptronik hasn't disclosed pricing — Targeting under $50k at scale; not yet sold.
- Can you buy Apollo right now?
- No — Apollo has been announced but isn't orderable yet. The maker's current label is "In pilots now".
- How lifelike is Apollo?
- We rate Apollo 28/100 on the gfs.ai Realism Index — an editorial score across six weighted dimensions, built only from public evidence. It scores strongest on motion (50/100) and weakest on face (6/100).
- Who makes Apollo?
- Apollo is built by Apptronik — founded 2016, headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company's focus: general-purpose humanoids (apollo) for logistics and manufacturing.
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