You get what you get when you combine Amazons Alexa voice assistant and an Echo Show tablet with artificial intelligence. Then you integrate it with Rings home security system to let it roam your home on its own. A robot just for the sake.
Astro is Amazon's long-rumored robot home. This robot has been in development for almost four years. The company already has plans for Astro. The company is still unsure of its exact purposes, so it's offering the robot only to invited customers. The robot is 2 feet tall and 20 pounds and has a touchscreen of 10 inches. It also includes a variety of sensors, cameras and microphones. You can even have it move multi-directionally around your house. It costs $1000.
Astro demonstrates Amazon's seriousness in robotics. This area has been an investment of Amazon for many years as part its warehouse network. It shows how serious Amazon takes getting its products and services into every home. Astro is adorable, but it's not a robot with a purpose, at least not yet. In an interview with WIRED Dave Limp, Amazon's chief hardware officer, identified several potential uses cases for Astro. These include eldercare and home security. Limp said that the company is determined to get the bot into the hands of customers so it can find unique uses cases for it.
Robot
Video by Amazon
Two Qualcomm chips power the Astrobot, which also includes artificial intelligence processing. It runs on Linux and FireOS as its operating system. It can transport a small payload (anything less than 5 lbs) and has five motors to provide some power.
Although the tablet's appearance is simple, you can tap or swipe your way through commands and video chats. Voice control is not required. Astro's eyes are also located here. They're meant to give the screen more life than the glass, cold screens we're used too. Astro also has Alexa built in, so you can make dad jokes with it.
Initial reports compared this robot vacuum cleaner to a robot vacuum cleaner. Astro can be charged with a battery and then recharges itself at a dock. The bot is more like a robot vacuum cleaner because it has a variety of sensors. According to The Verge, Astro includes ultrasonic sensors and time-of-flight cameras as well as other imaging tools that allow the robot to see what's around it and where it's going. The bot also features a periscope camera, which extends from its top.
