The word “Android” became popularized by its use in Star Trek and Star Wars as a replacement for the word “robot.” As the name for Google’s mobile operating system, it perhaps doesn’t seem surprising that the Android visionary is actually working on its own line of robots.
Andy Rubin, the man who brought us the Android operating system, has always loved robots, and over the last few years, Google has purchased seven robotics companies, over which Rubin has jurisdiction.
Even with all of this technology, the group is not yet sure what kind of robots they are going to be working on. What is clear is that this subset of Google is actually distinct from Google’s own X-lab, which has so far brought us a self-driving car and other wacky, futuristic developments.
Sources close to the project believe that these robots are not being built to be sold to the public, but rather to aid in the assembly of electronics, in order to make the process faster, and in the long run, cheaper.
Rubin was asked to take over the sector not only because his love of technology, but also because he has already had experience designing and working with robots.
The robots, which move and perform many human-like functions, are said to be some of the coolest things Google has going… and perhaps also the creepiest.
