Amazon has assembled a new team to work on household robots
For those unaware, Amazon first began exploring the idea in 2017, when Jeff Bezos, then the company’s CEO, directed a team of device executives to build a robot for consumers. The effort led to Astro, a $1,450 Alexa-equipped robot that made its public debut at Amazon’s September 2021 event.
The company has assembled a new team to work on a “new-to-world robot product,” according to a CNBC analysis of job postings, signalling that Jeff Bezos ’ vision of household robots may not be over. Amazon is making another attempt to bring robots into people’s homes, years after its Astro robot struggled to gain traction. It could move autonomously around a home, recognise faces and serve as a mobile security monitor.
Amazon also introduced a business version of Astro in 2023, but discontinued it less than a year later.
Over the past several months, Amazon has reportedly redeployed much of the team that worked on Astro and brought in an MIT roboticist for its new home robotics effort, according to LinkedIn profiles reviewed by CNBC. One engineering listing, which has since been removed, described a robot designed to navigate “dynamic home environments” and operate autonomously alongside family members. However, Astro never became a widely available consumer product. It was sold to only a few thousand customers through an invite-only programme. Job postings offer a glimpse into what the company may be developing.