Apptronik’s Apollo Humanoid Robot Makes a Splash at CES 2025
CES is the most powerful tech event in the world. In 2025, CES showcased plenty of cool gadgets, but humanoid robots truly stole the spotlight. Jensen Huang, who is Nvidia’s CEO, showed photos of several robot models during his speech, showing how much interest there is in robotics.
One robot that attendees might remember from the past is “Digit,” made by a company called Agility. Digit previously appeared at CES 2020 alongside Ford. At this year’s show, Digit turned up at a private Nvidia booth, picking up items and placing them on a little conveyor belt.
Most other humanoid robots at CES came from smaller companies, but one standout was “Apollo,” built by an Austin-based firm called Apptronik. Apollo was shown at the Texas Instruments (TI) booth because it uses some of TI’s computer chips. It was my first time seeing Apollo in person; when I watched a video of it back in 2023, its lifelike movements made me wonder if it was just an animated clip. Unlike many robots that look dark or intimidating, Apollo has a bright design, large cartoon-like eyes, and a head shape that reminds me of older iMac computers. Even though it looks friendly, it’s built for factory tasks. Apptronik believes a robot can do serious work without looking scary.
At CES, Apollo did a quick demonstration by picking up objects and placing them somewhere else. It wasn’t fully independent—just a simple preview of how it moves. However, Apptronik has already started testing Apollo in Mercedes factories as of March. Other robot companies have also teamed up with big brands, like Figure working with BMW and Agility partnering with Amazon, which shows how seriously major companies are taking humanoid robots.
Apollo’s appearance at CES shows that robots can be both functional and approachable. Instead of making them look like something from a sci-fi movie, companies are starting to create robots that feel more welcoming. As these partnerships grow, we might see more robots like Apollo working in factories and perhaps in other settings in the near future.