Apollo vs Kaleido 9: Specs, Price & ROS Support Compared (2023)
Apptronik vs Kawasaki Heavy Industries — independent, side-by-side analysis.
Quick Verdict
Kaleido 9 leads in higher payload. Overall, Kaleido 9 has an edge in 1 out of 1 compared categories.
Apollo
Apptronik
Kaleido 9
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
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Apollo Kaleido 9
Specifications
No public price (original target <$50,000 at scale). Apollo 2, unveiled June 30, 2026, is a data-collection/training platform (bipedal or wheeled base) used at Apptronik's Robot Park, not a product for sale; the first commercial product is Apollo 3, expected in 2027. Apollo runs only in enterprise pilots (Mercedes-Benz, GXO, Jabil).PriceResearch platform, not for sale. Kawasaki roadmap: autonomous factory tasks ~2030, unstructured environments ~2040
173 cmHeight190 cm
72.6 kgWeight99 kg
—DOF—
25 kgPayload30 kg
4hRuntime—
—Speed—
YesStairsYes
NoLiDARYes
Google DeepMind Gemini integrationComputeProprietary
Pros and cons at a glance
Apollo
Pros
- High rated payload (25 kg) for industrial pick-and-place
Cons
- Still in development, no commercial availability
- Unit price not publicly disclosed (quote-on-request or enterprise-only)
- Closed software stack — no public SDK or ROS support
Kaleido 9
Pros
- High rated payload (30 kg) for industrial pick-and-place
- Ships with LiDAR for robust depth sensing in low-light environments
Cons
- Still in development, no commercial availability
- Unit price not publicly disclosed (quote-on-request or enterprise-only)
- Closed software stack — no public SDK or ROS support
Frequently asked questions
How do Apollo and Kaleido 9 compare on price?
Apollo: No public price (original target <$50,000 at scale). Apollo 2, unveiled June 30, 2026, is a data-collection/training platform (bipedal or wheeled base) used at Apptronik's Robot Park, not a product for sale; the first commercial product is Apollo 3, expected in 2027. Apollo runs only in enterprise pilots (Mercedes-Benz, GXO, Jabil).. Kaleido 9: Research platform, not for sale. Kawasaki roadmap: autonomous factory tasks ~2030, unstructured environments ~2040.
Which has higher payload: Apollo or Kaleido 9?
Kaleido 9 rates a higher payload at 30 kg vs 25 kg. Payload ratings are vendor claims and do not always include a duty cycle — peak vs sustained payload can differ significantly.
Does Apollo or Kaleido 9 use LiDAR?
Kaleido 9 ships with LiDAR for depth sensing; Apollo does not. LiDAR adds cost and complexity but improves obstacle detection in low-light or low-contrast environments.
Last updated: 2023
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