was fortunate to get a chance to spend some time with Amazon’s new robotic sidekick, Astro, over the past week.Presumably named Astro because of Amazon’s fondness for the lovable dog on the 1960s cartoon series “The Jetsons,” it is now available on an invite-only basis for $1,000. However, the price will eventually climb to $1,450 when it becomes open to the public.
Seven days is a meager amount of time to assess a new piece of technology, but I think it’s sufficient to form some early opinions about this ambitious piece of hardware.fter spending a week with the product, I’ve concluded that it largely succeeds as a luxury item, particularly for those consumers with the disposable income to check out the latest bleeding-edge robotics technology, though the usage models are limited.
To be clear, that’s not a slam against Astro. Products like this pave the way for more compelling future solutions to ultimately get to market with broader mainstream appeal. Astro is a fascinating solution with significant potential. Still, it will not likely find a substantial audience given its premium price point and, most importantly, limited cases with what it can be used for.
What Is Amazon Astro?
If one didn’t know any better, they could mistake the new Amazon Astro with the Echo Show 10 smart display on oversized wheels. From a side view, it almost looks like a downsized non-passenger version of the iconic Segway personal transporter devices commonly seen in airports or shopping malls.
Astro has a motorized 10.1″ screen and a 5 MP camera that facilitates video chat and video/image capture. Two 55mm speakers embedded in the front provide surprisingly good audio with excellent bass. Astro has some heft to it, weighing 20.6 pounds and roughly the size of a footstool.Like the popular Echo Show models, Astro is fully Alexa-compliant with the ability to stream TV show content, play music, answer questions about nearly any topic, and control any Alexa-based smart home devices.
Astro is equipped with several highly sensitive array-based microphones, and its listening skills are exceptional. This is noteworthy because array microphones are used traditionally for measuring and locating noise sources, an attribute critical for its home security monitoring capabilities.However, what separates Astro from a stationary Echo Show is its ability to move and alter its viewing perspective. Astro has a periscope designed into it that rises from its pivoting head and provides additional 12 MP camera support.
The obvious usefulness of the cameras is that Astro can travel through your home when you’re out and about to capture video and images. The periscope also includes manual mute and volume buttons, though you’re unlikely to use them because it can respond to voice commands like any Alexa-class speaker.One of the things the Amazon engineering team deserves kudos for is Astro’s navigation performance.While the out-of-the-box setup process is startlingly easy, it takes about 30 minutes for Astro to conduct its initial run to learn all the rooms on your ground floor.
After the setup was completed, Astro could effortlessly travel to whatever room I designated via voice command. At no time did Astro bump into anything in its path, and it never ran into the beloved Miniature Pinscher who inhabits my home. Its large wheels also allow Astro to travel on both rugs and hardwood floors without any obvious difficulty.Last month, Amazon announced that Astro would ultimately acquire pet monitoring capability and check your doors and windows to notify you if they’re not secure. Amazon also supplies several colleges with an Astro software development kit to create even more automated procedures.
Something to keep in mind: Astro exhibits quirky behavior, even when docked in its charging station and seemingly asleep. Although thankfully it didn’t do this late at night, Astro used two animated eyes and lively beeps, I assume, to ensure that you’re aware that it’s at your beck and call.Some people might find this off-putting, but it’s clear that Amazon wants Astro to have a distinct personality that differentiates from its family of smart displays.
Does Astro Deliver Useful Tasks?
The $64,000 question that mainstream users want to be answered is about Astro’s usefulness. As mentioned above, the setup process was remarkably sleek with on-screen directions, and pairing it to my home network took just a few seconds.Although having an Astro is undoubtedly one of the more interesting conversation topics an owner will have at a cocktail party in their home, what can it actually do?
Astro does have a dual cup holder that allows you to transport drinks from one room to another, though I can’t imagine being so lazy that I would use that feature. Of course, it’s easy to give Astro a voice command to travel to the kitchen, but it can’t remove drinks from the refrigerator. That’s the kind of Jetsons-like feature that would be a game changer.