Amazon's big bet for the future: Your moving robot butler
According to reports, Amazon is developing a domestic, household robot. The machine will navigate through homes like a self-driving car with the help of advanced cameras and computer vision software. The project is being overseen by Gregg Zehr, who runs Amazon's Lab126 hardware research and development division, which in the past has churned out the Echo speakers, Fire TV set-top-boxes, and Fire tablets.
The robot, which will be "a sort of mobile Alexa," has been codenamed "Vesta" after the Roman goddess of the hearth, home, and family. Under the top-secret project, Amazon is planning to start seeding the robot prototypes in its employees' homes by year-end and in consumers' homes by 2019. However, the chances of the project just getting scrapped can also not be ruled out.
Foremost, the robot is expected to follow simple household commands and be a walking Echo speaker. Besides this, there is a potential of integrating the machine with all other Amazon products, subscriptions, and services. This would allow it to get super personalized in predicting your requirements. Given Amazon's history with innovation, it can be assumed that the robot will be marketed for mass appeal.
Amazon Robotics is a subsidiary that deploys robots in the company's warehouses to help move around goods. This project with Vesta household robots is different than what Amazon Robotics designs. However, the fact that Amazon already employs robots is a sign of its familiarity with automation. Alexa can already control smart locks, lights, and other gadgets.
