The Amazon Astro Home Robot
Astro has two large wheels at the front and a small wheel at the back, with which it can drive through your house and follow the user with the help of its sensors. A rotating screen is placed on top of the robot, this shows a pair of virtual eyes and gives the robot a friendly appearance. Other information can also be displayed on this screen.
Just behind the screen is a camera that records and monitors the environment. The camera can extend vertically to also view the environment from a higher vantage point.
Via a mobile app, people can control the robot remotely so that they can also make a tour of the house when they are not at home.
Amazon said Astro can be used for a variety of things, including home monitoring, videoconferencing with family and friends, entertaining children, and all of the same features of the Alexa devices – listen to music, check your schedule, etc. Astro can map your home and go to specific rooms on command. The voice-controllable robot can recognise faces, deliver items to specific people, after a human puts the item in the storage bin, and use third-party accessories to, for example, record blood pressure. It can detect the sound of a smoke alarm, carbon monoxide detector or breaking glass.
Amazon said it is keeping privacy in mind with Astro. Users can turn off mics, cameras, and motion with one press of a button and set “out of bounds zones” to keep the robot out of certain rooms.
Dimensions
Device: 16.7” L x 9.8” W x 17.3” H (424mm x 250mm x 440mm)
Charger: 11.0” L x 10.4” W x 5.0” H (280mm x 264mm x 127mm)
Weight
Device: 20.6 lbs (9.35 kg)
Charger: 3.9 lbs (1.75 kg)
Battery charge time
Device charges in approximately 45 minutes using the included charger
Battery type
Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
Periscope height
Extends up to 42” (1066mm) from the floor
Display
10.1” HD touchscreen display, 1280x800 resolution
Cameras
5MP bezel camera
1080p Periscope camera with 132° diagonal field of view
WiFi connectivity
Dual band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth connectivity
Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) support for audio streaming from your mobile device to Astro or from Astro to your Bluetooth speaker. Audio/Video Remote Control Profile (AVRCP) for voice control of connected mobile devices. Hands-free voice control is not supported for Mac OS X devices. Bluetooth speakers requiring PIN codes are not supported.
Ports
USB-C
Audio
2.1 System: 2 x 55mm full range front-firing speakers and a passive bass radiator
Processor
2x Qualcomm QCS605, 1x Qualcomm SDA660, 1x processor with Amazon AZ1 Neural Edge
Accessibility
You can enable Alexa captioning and closed captioning, magnify the screen, toggle color inversion, and choose between color correction options. You can also enable the VoiceView screen reader to use gestures to navigate the screen and hear spoken feedback about the items you select.
Included in the box
Astro (device), cargo bin liner and cup holder, charger and 6ft power cable, quick start guide, and welcome kit.
Requirements
To operate Astro, an active Amazon.com account, compatible mobile device running iOS 13+ or Android 8+, and the Astro app are required.
Astro on Amazon website: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/meet-astro-a-home-robot-unlike-any-other