Google’s Andy Rubin is making the jump from Androids to robots

Google is looking to make its mark on the world of robotics, and Android co-founder Andy Rubin is just the man to do it, reports the New York Times. Rubin helped start the company behind the Android operating system before being bought out by Google, and now the company has tapped him as the lead engineer in its move into robotics.

Intelligent machines aren’t a big new idea at Google—the company has been working on self-driving cars for years now—but some say that the search and advertising company’s foray into robotics R&D could point to an attempt to one-up Amazon’s recently announced army fleet of flying delivery drones. As we pointed out last year, Google has been developing a same-day package delivery system as one possible use for self-driving vehicles. Rubin has said that he sees opportunities for improvement in a variety of markets through the use of robots.

Whatever these machines end up being used for, Rubin is a solid choice to lead the development. Before he helped create Android, Rubin was a robotics engineer with experience in both hardware and software. While the decision to put Rubin in charge seems like an obvious one, Google has not yet committed its robotics lab to any specific division of the company. It’s likely that Rubin will work independently of the team in charge of autonomous vehicle technology.

As Rubin builds his team of engineers and Google searches for the perfect place within the company to foster its budding interest in robotics, one thing is certain: with the company’s resources and Rubin’s leadership, Google is poised to create more than a few remarkable improvements in countless industries.