Google Bets Its Robotics OS Can Be the Next Android

Google is applying a familiar playbook to a new frontier: the physical world of robots. This week, the company announced it is bringing Intrinsic, its robotics software unit, into the core Google organization, moving it out of its experimental 'Other Bets' division. The strategic shift signals a serious push to establish Intrinsic's operating system as a foundational layer for industrial automation, much as Android became the standard for smartphones.

Intrinsic’s software already runs on machines from major industrial robot makers like FANUC and KUKA. The goal is to let manufacturers and developers build applications without deep expertise in robotic 'plumbing,' accelerating the shift from rigid, single-purpose automation to more flexible, AI-driven systems. 'We're trying to make it accessible for anyone,' Intrinsic CEO Wendy Tan White said last year. 'It doesn't matter what the hardware is... We will help you put that together.'

The move comes as AI begins to leave the screen. In 2025, Google launched Gemini Robotics models designed to translate AI reasoning into physical commands. It has since partnered with firms like Apptronik and, notably, Boston Dynamics—a company Google once owned and sold—to integrate Gemini into robots like the Atlas humanoid. Intrinsic will now work directly with Google's AI teams, including DeepMind, to fuse these advanced models with industrial workflows.

The market incentive is clear. A Deloitte survey last year found 80% of manufacturing executives plan to direct significant investment toward smart manufacturing. Intrinsic is already moving, partnering with Foxconn to deploy AI robots in U.S. electronics assembly lines.

Google’s history in robotics has been uneven, marked by high-profile acquisitions and subsequent sales in the past decade. But the current AI explosion has changed the calculus. CEO Sundar Pichai, who once worked on Android, has reportedly drawn the comparison himself. According to Tan White, Pichai told the team, 'This is the Android of robotics.' With Intrinsic now at the heart of Google, the company is betting he’s right.