A few months have passed since the launch of Astro, the first Amazon robot designed for home use and to further expand the channels through which it is possible to interact with the Alexa voice assistant. You will remember that the debut was not very exciting, not to mention disastrous. Between doubts about the intrinsic quality and usefulness, high price (999 dollars for the first buyers, 1,499 for the others) and purchasing methods based on invitations, it certainly cannot be said that it is among the most popular and successful products of the colossus. of online shopping.
BUYERS PLAY WITH ASTRO
but yet someone bought it and started sharing impressions and videos on the net. In truth, not a lot of videos, despite the deliveries starting in November in the United States. Among the most interesting is that of Bob Rekieta which highlights two peculiar characteristics of the robot: the possibility of carry small items in the integrated compartment and the capacity of recognize faces. In the video, Astro is busy serving a bottle of beer. Then the owner asks to locate Celeste: the robot looks around her, starts looking for her and finally finds the woman and greets her with a message on the screen.
Matthew Nereimshared another video and tells a Bloomberg to have received the robot a couple of months ago. Practical utility? Poor, but at least it’s fun: “It’s like your little R2-D2. My friends and family think it’s fun. They say: does this thing follow you?“The buyer says he enjoys controlling the little robot via smartphone and using it to play with his dog. Among the flaws Nereim he has some difficulties for Astro in returning to the charging base and in walking the area near the stairs (but for now he has never thrown down), in addition to the high price – 700 dollars would have been more reasonable, according to him.
FOR NOW ONLY AN EXPENSIVE GADGET, IN THE FUTURE CHISS
The clear-cut judgment about Astro that has often been heard was: it’s just a tablet with Alexa and wheels. After all, for now, it cannot be said that Astro’s detractors are all wrong, given that in fact the practical utility at home is quite questionable, net of the surveillance functions (the robot is equipped with a video camera and can warn the user when it detects strangers.A robot vacuum cleaner, just to say, can be much more concrete in giving help around the house.
Amazon has not provided sales figures on Astro, nor is it possible to determine at the moment when and if it will decide to expand its distribution worldwide. Astro looks like just an experiment that the e-commerce giant is carrying out for evaluate the reception of the public And establish if there is room for proposing domestic robots more in line with the needs of users. The statements of a company spokesperson issued to The Verge which underline how the company is gaining positive feedback and learning a lot about how consumers want to use a home robot.
