With Astro, Amazon has presented its first Alexa robot for the home. Initially, it will only be available in the USA and will provide an outlook on how small robots could accompany life in the future. It is supposed to help users in everyday life – also to keep in touch with the family.
Persikop-camera and numerous sensors
It has numerous sensors, cameras, the digital voice assistant Alexa and can move autonomously, for example when nobody is at home, and transmit a live image of the home to the user via the Astro app or trigger an alarm if an unknown person is detected will. A periscope camera should provide the best possible overview. Astro can also be sent on a targeted journey if you want to go to a certain place.
With Alexa Guard, Astro can also capture the acoustic signal from a smoke or CO detector or from bursting glass and sound an alarm.
Reminders and contact for the elderly
Astro is also intended to help older people cope better with their everyday lives. On the one hand, by allowing family members to set reminders, on the other hand, by maintaining closer contact with the family via drop-in via Alexa. With the new service “Alexa Together”, family members can also be automatically notified by Astro checking whether older people go about their daily life or not.
Patrol with video recording
With the Ring Protect Pro subscription, Astro takes over monitoring of your home and goes on patrol when nobody is present. When motion is detected, videos are automatically recorded and sent to the ring cloud, which can be accessed from anywhere.
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Amazon Astro (Image: Amazon)
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Amazon Astro 
Astro > 
Amazon Astro 
If desired, Astro follows the user
Independent of these robot functions, Astro offers a display with the functions known from Alexa. Astro can, however, follow the user autonomously from room to room, if desired. Following the screen of the Amazon Echo Show 10 (test) was just a foretaste of Amazon's developments in this area. Astro can also search for the user fully automatically for notifications, timers or Alexa calls.
Astro has a personality
In the course of the test, Amazon said it decided to give Astro a personality in order to make the interactions more personal. As known from many films and from other robots, it therefore also has virtual eyes on the display. But it also communicates via its movements and the moving screen. With the new visual ID function, which is also used on the Echo Show 15, Astro can also recognize and differentiate between individual people. Much of the data is processed on the robot itself in order to be able to react as quickly as possible, even to obstacles that suddenly stand in the way. In addition, after the first scan of the environment, the user can define areas that are taboo for Astro so that they will never go to them. As with other Alexa devices, the cameras and microphones can also be deactivated.
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Amazon Astro (Image: Amazon)
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Amazon Astro 
Amazon Astro 
Amazon Astro In the USA for 1,000 euros
Astro will initially only be available in the USA via the Day 1 program and will cost 999.99 US dollars. Delivery is scheduled to start later this year. If it is generally available, Astro will then be available for 1,449.99 euros, which includes a 6-month Ring Protect Pro membership.