Amazon’s Astro Home Robot Remains Elusive Six Months After Debut
Bloomberg tracked down one buyer, who says the device is probably worth about half the company's proposed retail price of $1,450.
Last September, Amazon.com Inc. debuted a household robot named Astro that was supposed to usher in—or at least point to—a Jetsons-like future.
Fifty-three minutes into a press conference otherwise focused on new Ring cameras, a thermostat and a giant Echo speaker with a wall screen, the three-wheeled robot rolled out on stage at the command of Amazon devices chief Dave Limp. With Astro looking on, Limp ticked off the gadget’s attributes: advanced computer vision that lets the bot know where it is, home monitoring, media playback and the ability to summon emergency help for elders. Astro would eventually sell for about $1,450, but Limp said people lucky enough to score an invitation could get their hands on one for $1,000—or about the price of an iPhone 13 Pro—and test it out at home.