Alphabet, Google's parent company, terminates another robotics project

The subsidiary known as Everyday Robots under Alphabet will be disbanded, and its members and technology will be integrated into other divisions. This marks a regrettable conclusion for yet another robotics endeavor.

Google's parent company, Alphabet, is shutting down its Everyday Robots project as part of a series of job cuts and failed hardware ventures. Everyday Robots will no longer be a separate project within Alphabet, and some of its technology and team will be consolidated into existing robotics efforts within Google Research, according to Denise Gamboa, director of marketing and communications for Everyday Robots.

Alphabet has been cutting costs this year, with Google laying off approximately 12,000 workers in January, and Intrinsic, another Alphabet robotics venture, also experiencing significant layoffs. Everyday Robots was launched in 2019, with a focus on designing robots for domestic and office settings, but building robots that can perform tasks in unstructured and unpredictable environments remains challenging. Alphabet's robotics ventures have struggled despite a decade of research and multiple acquisitions, including Boston Dynamics.