Amazon has announced the imminent release of a home robot that has been rumored for a long time. The journalists managed to find out not only the name and cost of the novelty, but also how useful a mechanical assistant can be in everyday life.
So, the new friend will be called Astro, and you can buy him for $ 999. It is noteworthy that the novelty will not immediately go on sale, but will be sold in the “Day 1 Edition” category – this means that those who wish to purchase the device need to register in advance and wait for its release.
Thus, as a rule, companies do that are not sure about the demand for their product, since such an approach allows them to release a limited number of units of goods, which will be guaranteed to be purchased.
And there are actually doubts about Astro.
The robot is the size of a medium-sized dog, equipped with a camera on a flexible neck and a 10-inch monitor.
Amazon claims that Astro is able to independently move around the house and conduct “patrols”, both while the owner is in the apartment and in his absence. According to the manufacturers, he can remember people's faces and distinguish family members from guests. In addition, the robot reacts to extraneous sounds (for example, things falling) and moves towards their source.
Astro can also play movies and TV shows on its monitor, play music and even bring a couple of cans of soda to the owner – the smart car has a small transport compartment in the case.
And, perhaps, that's all.
And now a little about the disadvantages that journalists and technical bloggers managed to find out.
According to Vice, Astro is designed primarily to track the behavior of people in the house. However, his face recognition system is extremely imperfect – he is quite capable of confusing the owner with an intruder.
The robot moves with the help of two large and one small wheel and is terrified of stairs, because it cannot move along them. At the same time, according to the laid down program, the robot will rush from the second floor to the first if, for example, he hears the sound of breaking dishes. Thus, your expensive toy will simply commit suicide.
The internal protection system is extremely imperfect, and therefore the robot may well turn into an assistant to criminals, tracking not only the movements of the owners, but also transmitting pictures from their personal lives.
Yes, Astro can indeed bring beer to the owner, but for this, someone has to put the can in the transport compartment of the robot, since the car has nothing even remotely resembling manipulators.
In general, Amazon's robot turned out to be strange. Perhaps one of the CNBC journalists spoke about him most accurately:
– On the one hand: wow, it's great that we finally have a home robot, even if it cannot clean and bring me things from the refrigerator! On the other hand: I cannot think of reasons why I need it in the house at such a price.
