Google could be working on robots to work in factories

Google is interested in building robots to work in factories, according to a patent awarded to the tech giant Friday.

US Patent and Trademark Office

The patent, first spotted by Quartz's Mike Murphy, outlines a way to make sure the robots aren't overloaded with cargo that may restrict the machine's movements or fall off altogether.

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However, just like with any patent filing, there's no guarantee that Google warehouse robots will materialize. "We hold patents on a variety of ideas - some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents," a Google spokesperson told Tech Insider.

The patent inventor is Kevin Watts, a software engineer at Google who used to work as an engineer for robotics group Willow Garage. Willow Garage has two spinoff companies, Industrial Perception and Redwood Robotics, that were both acquired by Google in 2013.

There have been some tension with some of robotics companies Google acquired in 2013.

As we reported last month, Toyota is in final talks to acquire Boston Dynamics. And Nikkei reported that the Japanese automaker is also eyeing a purchase of another Google robotic group, Schaft.

While Google may be trying to get rid of some of its robotic companies, it's still actively investing in some areas of robotics.

For example, the tech giant is interested in delivery drones and robots, as part of its Project Wing division. And the company continues to develop its self-driving cars.