Amazon‘s newest technology innovation moves the world closer to a world where robots can potentially take over. With Amazon Astro, the tech giant gives a glimpse of life in the future.
This tiny home assistant robot was described as the company’s “first robot, not our last.” Combining the AI that is Alexa, Astro can also play music, tell the weather and answer any random burning questions one may have. Different from Alexa is that Astro is on wheels and has the ability to manoeuver around the household by memorizing the floor plan, recognizing the faces of family as well as the rooms that the children are sleeping in. Using SLAM technology, aka simultaneous localization and mapping, the robot is able to pick up on the contours around the room, meaning it will not trip over the dog or tumble down the stairs.
Astro also features a periscope arm with a camera that raises up out of the top of the device so that the user can check up on the house when away. This might come in handy to ensure that the lights or stove is turned off when vacating the premises. The robot is expected to be able to learn the habits of users, proving that robot technology is only getting smarter. The device also comes with a camera and microphone kill switch that allows the users to stop the recording at any given time.
Amazon Astro is expected to hit the market later this year for approximately $1,500 USD. However, members of Amazon’s Day 1 Editions program will be able to purchase it for $1,000 USD with a six-month Ring Protect Pro trial subscription. Stay tuned online at Amazon for the release.
In other tech news, the EU is pushing for universal USB-C phone chargers.
