An Overview of Amazon’s Latest Astro Robot

Earlier in October, Amazon announced their long-awaited Astro Robot that can be used for various purposes in homes. This robot can autonomously drive around your room thanks to its precise cameras and obstacle detection sensors. It is practically a home assistant that can help with a couple of simple tasks such as recognizing people and alerting you if someone new is in the house, handling video calls, and even alerting you when someone calls or if you have a reminder. 

During the announcement of this robot, Dave Limp, head of Amazon’s devices and services, said they want their customers to use this robot for multiple tasks more than being an Alexa on wheels. 

We have seen several versions of this concept, including Tesla’s humanoid robot that they released about two months ago. However, is Amazon’s Astro Robot really different from all the versions made by other companies? Let’s take a look at some of its key features.

Features of the Amazon Astro Robot:

• Intelligent motion: This robot has built-in sensors that enable it to drive around your home without colliding with objects. So, you can always have it wherever you need it within the house. 
• Remote operation: The Astro Robot is connected to the internet, so you can control it while you are away from home. This handy security feature enables you to monitor your entire house while you are away. 
• Built-in Alexa: It comes with all the Alexa capabilities. So, you can use it to set reminders, manage shopping lists, receive activity alerts, and many more. 
• 10.1″ HD touchscreen display (1280×800): This can be used to make entries and consume content, such as watching TV shows, showing your music playing lists, shopping lists, and many more. 
• 2 Cameras: It has a 5MP bezel camera and 1080P ultrawide periscope camera with a 1320 field of view. This camera can rise on a built-in arm up to 42″ from the ground for more effective home monitoring. The cameras also have built-in face recognition capabilities that can help users identify news faces in the house. 
• It uses rechargeable Lithium batteries: These batteries support fast charging (full charge in 45 minutes) when using the charger included in the box. 
• Connectivity: It supports WiFi and Bluetooth to communicate with other local devices and connect to the internet. 
• Processors: This robot comes with a couple of processing chips, including a2x Qualcomm QCS605, 1x Qualcomm SDA660, and 1x processor with Amazon AZ1 Neural Edge. 

Amazon’s Astro Robot will be available for purchase for $999 in up to 50 states in the US. However, getting this robot involves a few extra steps. You will have to request an invitation to buy it and answer a couple of questions in their survey form. Amazon will then send you feedback informing you whether your invite was accepted.